A MANUFACTURER whose products include the ornaments on Rolls Royce bonnets is on the move from the site it has occupied for almost 70 years.

Specialist parts maker Polycast says it will be able to expand into new markets and create jobs thanks to the move to Concorde Park, Segensworth.

The investment casting foundry manufactures products with materials such as stainless steel and aluminium.

It works in the automotive, marine, aerospace and general engineering sectors and is the sole manufacturer of the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament on Rolls Royce cars.

The business has been in Shore Road, Warsash, since it was founded in 1943. It is investing almost £2million to move to Concorde Park, creating a new foundry and machine shop in premises totalling more than 22,000sqft.

Concorde Park is a speculative industrial and warehouse development completed this year by the developer Kingsbridge Estates, and the arrival of Polycast means the site is 50 per cent let.

The move will enable Polycast to create around five new positions, including apprentices, in the near future and to move into new markets – among them the manufacture of medical implants.

Andrew Martin, managing director at Polycast, said: “This is a major step forward to us. What we wanted from a new site was the ‘wow factor’ and that’s what we got when we went to see these new units. The quality of this site reflects the prestige and quality of our work and enables us to grow our team and move into some new and exciting areas.

“The site is less than three miles from where we were – our workforce is very local so we wanted to stay as close as possible. There’s better access to the motorway and perfect facilities for loading and loading, so it ticks all the boxes for us. It will be a sad day when we leave our current site but we are moving in a very clear direction and this move sets us up for the next 10 or 20 years of the business’s life, enabling us to remain at the forefront of investment casting and putting the infrastructure in place for our success in new markets.”

Rachel Lacklison, asset manager at Kingsbridge Estates, said: “There is a real buzz about Concorde Park, and to have reached 50 per cent occupancy just a few months after completion is testament to the outstanding quality of the scheme and its ability to meet the needs of a wide range of successful and growing businesses.”

Russell Mogridge, lead partner in the industrial and office agency team at Vail Williams, which manages the park, said: “This scheme is experiencing very high demand owing to the high quality of the build and the fantastic location. We have only four units remaining, with serious interest in all of them.”

Vail Williams is also the joint marketing agent for the site, with CBRE.