An Ellesmere Port firm has revealed a £3.4m investment in the future.
The EMS Group, a global marketing and healthcare solutions business which has been based at Lakeside, Shellway Road, is investing in new premises and technology nearby in the Cheshire Science Corridor Enterprise Zone.
The group is made up of Event Marketing Solutions (EMS), a market leading roadshow agency, and EMS Healthcare, described as a primary supplier of mobile medical units to the NHS.
New state-of-the-art head offices at South Road will account for £2.4m of the investment enabling the group to meet the growing demand for roadshow services and NHS-approved mobile healthcare units.
The enterprise zone location of the new 21,452sq ft head offices means the company will benefit from reduced business rates as it continues to grow.
A further £1m investment in technology and fleet capacity will see the business establish a cutting-edge workshop to create and design its roadshow trucks in-house. This move will also create new senior roles in the company across management and vehicle body building.
Keith Austin, group chief executive officer, said: “Increased demand for mobile solutions in both of our core markets – marketing events and healthcare – has put us on a tremendous growth trajectory that now requires that we invest further in expanding our Cheshire operations.
“While we will still be working with our network of suppliers, we have exciting plans to bring some more design and tech-capabilities in-house. This will be significant in driving cost efficiencies and our customers will benefit from greater speed of deployment of our vehicles.
“The new workshop and technology is a real first within our sector and reflects our commitment to spearheading the industry with innovations that will future-proof our service.”
The investment follows a record breaking year for the business which saw profits in 2016 surpass the £1m mark for the first time.
Significant milestones for the marketing division included the launch of its largest Middle Eastern project to date, a £2.5m roadshow across Saudi Arabia for a legacy tour of the late King Abdullah. The healthcare division also achieved an official listing as a supplier to the NHS’s mobile diagnostics, theatres, treatment and therapy services.
“We’re now operating in over 40 countries so the investment in technology will also be instrumental in our ability to innovate in new markets, catering to them individually by developing vehicles to meet their specific needs,” added Mr Austin.
EMS Healthcare will be able to widen its offer of clinical medical units to the NHS further supporting the future of the NHS and the drive for more out-of-hospital and community care.
