A firm designing and installing production lines for a range of industries is set to pursue further business opportunities by opening a new research and development centre.

Sewtec, which provides bespoke production lines for use in the food, tobacco, confectionery, personal care and pharmaceutical industries, has invested £500,000 in the new centre at its premises at Ravensthorpe Industrial Estate.

The centre will support customer projects and enable Sewtec to further develop their range of robotic solutions to grow its business.

The official opening was performed by Dewsbury MP Simon Reevell, who was welcomed to the site by Sewtec managing director Bernard Meehan. Also attending were representatives of Kirklees Council and Leeds City Council.

The 5,500sq ft building has already resulted in six new jobs, including two graduate designers.

It is expected that a further four positions will become available early next year.

As well as its R&D function, a secure build area will also be created where confidential customer projects can be developed and constructed in complete privacy.

Sewtec’s blue-chip customer list includes several major multi-nationals.

The company carries out installations throughout the world, including Russia, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and Australia.

Currently, 80% of the company’s business is overseas. Turnover has quadrupled in the last five years and Sewtec now employs nearly 100 people.

With the majority of projects requiring considerable capital investment from companies, the Sewtec facility will work alongside customer teams to assess the feasibility and costings for any proposed new system and create initial test rigs.

The stand-alone operation will ensure a high level of confidentiality for all new projects.

The R&D Centre will also offer some graduate training opportunities, enabling them to gain experience in all areas of design and automation.

It is anticipated that trainees will be able to move on to positions within Sewtec’s main manufacturing operation.

In addition, Sewtec is partnering with a number of universities, including Huddersfield University’s Engineering Department and the Keyworth Institute at Leeds University, to drive innovation and new product development in a number of specialist areas such as robotic systems, high speed continuous motion assembly systems, tamper-evident machines and track and trace technology.

Mr Meehan said: ““The continuing development of technology means both products and pack formats are becoming increasingly complex and this makes the design and installation of effective assembly and packing systems ever-more challenging.

“Our new R&D centre will enable us to provide vital early support work for our customers, which will help to ease the decision-making process for investment in new systems.

“It will also allow us to refine and further improve our design and technical expertise and so continue to expand our product offering and grow our business in both existing and new markets.”

Sewtec was established in 1867 as the design and development house for Singer, the sewing machine manufacturer.

In 1982, the company broke away from the sewing industry to become involved in special purpose applications for the worldwide automotive sector.

Since 1987 Sewtec has concentrated on FMCG – or fast-moving consumer goods – industries.