Electromechanical engineering specialist Houghton International has officially moved premises and is now fully operational at the new Ronnie Mitten Works site, a former Siemens Energy blade manufacturing factory in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The company has consolidated its existing facilities into 120,000ft² of engineering space at the CA Parsons Works factory will enable the company to be more efficient and flexible and will also provide scope for further growth in the future.

The move represents a massive milestone for Houghton International and will create a ‘best-in-class facility’ from which to service its growing domestic and international customer base.

The company has retained its large machine facility on Shields Road which is adjacent to the new workshop and this will continue to be used to service an increased demand for larger repairs from around the UK, providing a total combined footprint of over 135,000ft².

The new facility has been named after Ron Mitten, one of the company’s founders, whose technical legacy still brings work into the business each day, over a decade since his death in 2007.

Positioning itself for future growth in emerging markets, the company also intends to retain its large machine facility on Shields Road adjacent to new workshop to service an increased demand for larger repairs from around the UK, providing a total combined footprint over 135,000ft².

Ron Mitten’s son, Michael Mitten, the current CEO of Houghton International, said: “I am truly delighted and equally honoured to be taking over such a prestigious site, and to be allowed to hoist my Dad’s name above the door really is the cherry on the cake for me.

“I want to thank the team at Siemens Energy for having the confidence in us to take on the site and allowing us to name it after my father. He would be blown away by the notion that his name will be sat alongside that of Charles Parsons.”

“I am also delighted to be able to announce such an exciting phase in the company’s development, which is also some positive news for the North East. It is a massive deal for us, one that cements our home for the next 25 years, and gives us one of the largest rotating electrical machine service centres in Western Europe.

“Now we need to fill it up with work. We envisage that we will be creating new jobs very soon, and will need great people to help us achieve our mission to be the best in the world at what we do.

“The expansion is a huge opportunity for Houghton International and is the result of many years of hard work to grow the business, our workforce and our customer base to get to this point.

“To do so at such a critical economic time means we will be perfect placed to take full advantage of the post-Covid-19 economic boom that I am certain will happen, especially in renewable energy and the shift towards the electrification of mass transportation.

“The consolidation will improve efficiency across the business, offer greater opportunities for training and cross-skilling staff, enable us to adapt to changing market conditions faster and further improve the service we offer to customers.”

Alongside providing extra space for Covid-19 physical distancing, the additional capacity created by the move will also enable the company to create dedicated R&D and training facilities, further investing in the future.

Specialising in the monitoring, maintenance, repair and life extension of electromechanical assets around the world, Houghton International operates across a range of sectors including power generation, water, oil and gas, rail and industrial and manufacturing. The company has grown incrementally over the past 36 years.

Currently owned by Siemens Energy, the CA Parsons Works work site has been home to world-class engineering since the start of the 20th century.

Co-located on the site alongside Siemens Energy presents an excellent opportunity for ongoing collaboration between two complementary companies to re-invest in the vacant facility and continue its strong heritage into the future.