One of the world’s top five tobacco companies has been manufacturing cigarettes for more than 120 years – but did you know they have been working in Southampton since 1912?

The Echo has been behind the scenes with British American Tobacco (BAT) to understand how the company has been attempting to change its focus over the last 11 years, and “build a smokeless world”.

BAT’s Southampton site started manufacturing cigarettes back in 1912 but since 2013, the company has been pumping funds into “non-combustible” nicotine products.

These include four main categories: Vapes, tobacco heating products, oral products and traditional dipping tobacco.

The Southampton site has just completed a £30 million investment into a new Innovation Centre – that has the ability to turn non-combustible nicotine products from concept to product in just an hour.

Daily Echo: The facility can turn idea to prototype in just an hourThe facility can turn idea to prototype in just an hour (Image: BAT)This means that scientists and designers can take an idea for a new non-combustible – such as a vape, and have a prototype made in just 60 minutes.

Prior to the creation of the Innovation Centre, this process would have taken more than two months.

Director of Research and Science, Dr James Murphy said: “We are a decade into our smokeless product journey.

“During that time, we have pulled in engineers, scientists and chemists from other industries – to help us deliver the best products for customers.”

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BAT’s Head of Life Science, Dr Elaine Round, who’s work covers tobacco harm reduction, said: “The principles of tobacco harm reduction are clear to us - you can only have harm reduction when you have the right products to be able to offer.

“This also only works if adult smokers want to switch to those products. It’s the combustion from cigarettes that is damaging to people – not the nicotine.

“Nicotine is not what causes disease – it’s the burning of the tobacco. That’s why our aim is to get adult smokers to stop using combustible cigarettes.”

Daily Echo: BAT's head of life science, Dr Elaine Round and director of research and science, Dr James Murphy BAT's head of life science, Dr Elaine Round and director of research and science, Dr James Murphy (Image: NQ)When asked whether BAT’s focus was to get people to quit smoking, or to get people to stop using combustibles such as cigarettes, Dr Murphy said: “This is one of the biggest challenges in the debate.

“The answer is both – its safe to use nicotine for a long time – that is not what causes the harm, it’s the other chemicals in that delivery system.

“That’s the biggest misconception people have – from a health perspective, its about getting people to stop using combustibles.”

The tobacco company said that new Innovation Centre is the latest example of its commitment to invest in the highest standards of scientific research t to support its ambition to reduce the health impact of its business.

This is the third Innovation Centre to be opened by BAT, with the first opening in Trieste, Italy, and the second opening in Shenzhen, China with 200 staff.

According to BAT, Southampton’s Innovation Centre has 300 staff – out of 1,200 that work at the site in total.

The Innovation Centre is on the site of the former BAT cigarette factory that closed in 2007.