Two become one as Banbury business opens new base

The team celebrate their new Thorpe Way base in Banbury

Fortress Technology Europe has more than tripled its manufacturing capacity with a move to a new purpose-built industrial facility and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters in Banbury’s Thorpe Way.

The business merged with British checkweighing and x-ray inspection specialist Sparc Systems three years ago. The new site is named Stealth House after the company’s flagship food metal detector and marks the next milestone in the company’s ambitious growth strategy.

The company employs nearly 70 food inspection engineering and service specialists. It builds x-ray, metal detectors and checkweighers used within a number of the largest bakery, snack, dairy, meat, confectionery and ingredient factories that supply supermarkets and retailers throughout Europe and beyond.

Having operated across two sites for close to three years, the new premises brings all the Fortress and Sparc work together under one roof and represents a significant investment by the Group’s Canadian parent company.

President and founder of Fortress Technology Steve Gidman officially opened the EMEA HQ and toured the new site with managing director Phil Brown who started as a sales manager at Fortress Technology when it first launched in Britain. The Fortress story began 25 years ago with Mr Gidman building a timber metal detector in his garage.

Mr Brown said the Banbury expansion offered great opportunities: “This is an exciting time for digital technologies. Especially in the food production market. It’s a petri dish of innovation and opportunities. Speaking from personal experience, joining a fast-growing private company that still has a family ethos at its core is a great way to advance your personal and professional skills and climb the career ladder.

Commercial manager Jodie Curry added: “This move represents another exciting chapter in our growth. No inspection company globally is now better placed to navigate the food supply and pricing challenges brought about by the pandemic and now the Ukraine crisis. Ongoing export investments and a steady stream of new sales agents in Scandinavia, central Europe, including Germany and Spain, and the United Arab Emirates, reflects the faith the global food sector and industry stakeholders has in the Fortress Technology brand.”