Sunday September 8 2024
Swindon & Wiltshire News
Dyson celebrated its 21st birthday this week with the unveiling of detailed plans for a new £250m expansion to its headquarters in Malmesbury.
The firm hopes a new research and development facility – for which planning permission has been lodged with North Wiltshire planners – will be up and running by 2016.
The facility – which could eventually employ 3,000 engineers – will include laboratories, a multi-use sports facility, car parking for 600 vehicles, and a new cafe.
The firm is already scouting universities for 400 engineers.
It is hoped the new labs and research space will allow the engineers to expand motor electronic research, increase experimentation with noise cancelling acoustic technology, work on robotics and develop Dyson vision projects.
Prototyping space and test labs will lead to the development of new categories of Dyson technology, beyond the vacuum cleaners, fans and hand dryers it is known for, eventually having a ‘pipeline of new technology’, said the firm.
Founder Sir James Dyson said: “We are ambitious – and it’s through research and development that developments in technology come about.
“We’ll be looking for 3,000 engineers to deliver Dyson’s pipeline of technology, but we need 400 of Britain’s brightest right away – our ideas simply can’t wait”
