A LONG standing Bradford company has moved into a much larger base in the city centre.

Thorite, a specialist in pneumatics, air compressors and fluid handling equipment, has unveiled its brand-new UK headquarters at Thorite House on Hillam Road, off Canal Road.

Thorite moved from their old base at Laisterdyke to the new, purpose-built 44,000 sq ft headquarters and Bradford sales and service centre at the beginning of last week.

Excitement had been building for some time within Thorite, seeing their future plans come to life.

The new base will allow for further expansion and further organisational improvement in current working practices and techniques.

Company officials say the new headquarters, located close to the centre of Bradford, was required because Thorite had grown to the point where space was constraining the services provided for their customers.

Now, with a fully functioning showroom, trade counter and specialised services under one roof, Thorite can provide these customers with improved service, support and value.

The new premises will house £6 million of compressed air and fluid power stock, compressor plant purchase, hire and rental, expert technical advice services, systems design and installation teams and aftersales support services.

The site will also allow specialised training courses to be carried out.

The new Thorite headquarters will also offer an ample amount free parking too, which company officials say was always an issue at Laisterdyke.

Stephen Wright, Thorite’s managing director said: “The new head office represents a multi-million-pound investment in the business and sets Thorite on course for our next stage of development.”

The company, which dates back to 1850 when it was known as Mill Furnishers, had been based at Thorite House in Laisterdyke since 1971.

Thorite's new building had most recently used by Melrose Textiles.

When Thorite announced plans for the move early last year, the business, which in 2019 had a turnover of almost £19 million, said at the time it had outgrown its Laisterdyke site.

The Laisterdyke base had 18,000 sq ft of space spread out over four floors - and the company said this it was “not suitable for a modern distribution business anymore.” The new base will be over double the size at 40,000 sq ft.

Thorite's headquarters in Bradford will also double as the company’s national distribution centre, sales and service centre, service administration and systems division.

Thorite's national network of 11 sales and service centres are located in Blackburn, Bolton, Bristol, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Leeds, Rochdale, Sheffield, North Shields, and the West Midlands.