Process Combustion is the first firm to move into new premises on extra land released last year on the Hornbeam Business Park, Harrogate.

There is now room to take on 20 more people over the next two years.

The £4 million turnover manufacturer of bespoke combustion equipment, which employs 40, has moved out of the 11,000 sq ft premises on Hornbeam Park which it first occupied in 1989 and into purpose-built 27,500 sq ft premises.

It has planning consent for a further 11,500 sq ft expansion.

Director, Gordon Higginson, said: "Now we would like to see 20 more staff employed here over the next two years."

And he praised builders Termrim, of Huddersfield, for getting the premises up and running in less than a year after planning consent was granted.

New, larger workshops, with two full-bay width overhead cranes, doubles manufacturing capacity for the company's range of tailor-made vaporisers, process heaters, incinerators and fire-fighting training equipment.

And it means that all manufacturing and administration can be housed under one roof rather than having to lease extra premises.

It also means that its subsidiary, PC Rapid, will be able to manufacture cases for its warm air industrial heaters in-house, rather than having to buy-in from steel fabricators - and that more jobs can be taken on.

Process Combustion's products are in use in Spain, Turkey, China, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Poland, Korea, New Zealand and Ghana and customers include British Gas, ICI, Dickinson Engineering, BP, Kaldair and Howmar International.

Director and co-founder of the company, Alec Little, said: "This is an important milestone for both businesses that will enable us to grow and take on more staff as we do.

"Taking all production in house at PC Rapid will give us greater quality control, reduced lead times and more competitive pricing."

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