A GLOBAL aluminium firm has been announced as the latest company to sign up as part of the second phase of construction on the £15 million Sapper Jordan Rossi Park in Baildon.

GSM, which provides products for everything from bathrooms and offices to hospitals and the military, is relocating from two sites at Keighley and Otley.

Five new units comprising a total of 63,000 sq ft are under construction at the 15-acre site in Otley Road, formerly known as the Baildon Business Park.

Developer Pendle Russells said it had secured buyers for three of the units, with the remaining two being built "speculatively."

Once built, the latest sales will take the business park to 65 per cent occupancy across a total of 150,000 sq ft.

Deana Misbert, director at GSM, said the move would allow the business to invest and grow its global supply and distribution network.

She said: "The company is expanding its services and global customer base, and our existing premises are not conducive to that.

"This new facility will allow us to bring the head office and warehouse together on one site for the first time, and will make funds available for further investment.

"We anticipate the next three years will see the business enjoy steady growth and will ultimately lead to further expansion and recruitment.

"In looking for a new site we had a set of strict requirements, not least a location which was nearby for our existing employees, provided good transport links for them and our distribution network, and would allow us to continue using our local supply chain.

"We also wanted to design and specify our own building, so this new development is ideal for GSM.”

GSM is the second of three businesses to have announced its acquisition of a unit in the second phase of development at the business park.

The first was yarn manufacturer Laxtons, with a third set to be named "in the coming weeks."

They join four businesses already operating from the business park, Produmax, Anetic Aid, West Yorkshire Glazing, and John Ayrey Die Casts.

The site is being built by Manchester’s Russells Construction as part of a JV with developer Pendle Projects.

Mark Taylforth, director of the Pendle Russells JV, said: "The chance to design and build a bespoke facility for their specific requirements has proven an extremely attractive offer for all of our buyers.

"That, combined with the well-connected location and a significant lack of new build industrial development in this area, has allowed us to secure a total of seven off-plan sales at Baildon in total.

"We have worked closely with each of the purchasers to design their facility and it’s great to see construction under way and we look forward to completion in early 2017."

MORE TOP STORIES