The boss of an international space business has revealed why they chose Keighley for a £9m investment in space technology.
Bradford Council recently announced that a new Space Test North facility will open in Providence Park in Keighley town centre.
It will be operated by MPG Europe, a business under Dover Corporation’s MPG operating company, and help the development of cutting edge space technology.
The facility will be part funded through a £4.5m grant from the Local Regeneration Fund with the rest funded by the company.
On Tuesday (Oct 20), Bradford hosted the Scale Up Bradford event, which brought together business bosses with representatives of Bradford Council and other organisations.
Those attending the event were given more details about the new space test centre, that will bring 50 “high value jobs” to the town centre.
Ron Ruppersburg, president of US-based MPG, said: “MPG Europe was delighted to visit Providence Park and see the significant opportunities the delivery of Space Test North could bring.
"The visit reinforced our confidence in the project’s potential to become a significant asset for the UK space sector, providing critical testing, manufacturing, research, and skills development capabilities that are currently unavailable elsewhere in the region.
“Seeing the site in person has further strengthened our belief that this initiative will become a catalyst for growth, collaboration and high-value job creation, establishing Keighley as an important centre for space and advanced technology development in the North of England.
“We look forward to delivering this exciting project and to seeing Space Test North become a flagship facility that supports the next generation of space innovation and engineering talent.”
At Tuesday’s event there was a panel discussing the investment. Mr Ruppersburg was asked why he chose Keighley.
He told those present that the group had looked to invest in the North, and added: “As we dug into it, we saw the Aire Valley had this technology heritage that we wanted to expand into.
“One thing that led us into this area and Keighley was the collaboration between the University of Bradford and Keighley College. As we explored the locations available we saw Keighley was in a very strong position, and we ended up in Providence Park – which is literally across the street from Shipley College.”
Asked what difference the centre will make to Keighley and the Bradford District he said: “Everyone has their own crystal ball, and ours shows an extremely positive future in terms of how this development with effect the supply chain.
“We hope that it will help the area flourish and we hope that the impact on the local economy helps people.”
Speaking as part of the panel, Glenn McCauley of business group Space Hub Yorkshire, said: “The fact that space is becoming a bit more Bradford is an amazing thing.”
Mandy Ridyard, from Baildon-based space tech company Produmax, said the centre will attract further investment from the sector, saying: “If you build it, they will come.”
David Shepherd, director of place at Bradford Council, said: “The emergence of a strong economic identity in the sector means investment follows.
“This is about taking Bradford’s economy further up the chain. These are Tech Level four jobs and chimes brilliantly with the UK industrial strategy.”
Councillor Andrew Judson, Bradford Council’s executive member for economy, regeneration and planning, added: “It was fantastic to welcome Ron and the MPG team to Bradford and to have the opportunity for them to share their ambitions for Space Test North with businesses at our Scale Up event.
“This is a landmark opportunity for Keighley and for our wider district. Securing globally backed investment to create the North of England’s first dedicated radio frequency and environmental space-testing facility is a major vote of confidence in our economy, our skills base and our advanced manufacturing sector.
“We already have a strong and growing cluster of space, radio frequency and advanced engineering businesses across the Aire Valley. Crucially, this project is about more than technology. It will create high-skilled jobs, open up new training opportunities and career pathways, and help position Keighley as a leading centre for innovation and advanced manufacturing.”