AN INTERNATIONAL company based in Clitheroe has unveiled a new technology centre which will create at least ten jobs.

The new building at Spiroflow, which is housed in Lincoln Way, was officially opened by Cllr Michael Ranson, Mayor of the Ribble Valley.

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The centre includes a machine demonstration area for the company’s conveying, weighing, bulk bag filling and discharge equipment, and a powder testing laboratory.

The company, which has a factory in North Carolina in the USA serving North and South America and the Far East, designs powder handling systems, including specialised conveyors and bulk bag handling equipment for the food, chemical, minerals and other process industries.

Bosses said the base will create more jobs in the town in the coming year as it expects its order book to increase over the next 12 months.

The main purpose of the centre is to allow powder testing on laboratory equipment and helping to anticipate and prevent handling issues. It is also thought that the building will reduce the risk of expensive downtime in the handling process.

The technology centre will operate under Dr Will Weston, the business’s specialist in materials science, and engineer Terry Mason. Dr Weston said: “Powders and granular materials are complex entities with vastly varied handling properties, so conveying solids is a much more complex task than it is for liquids.

“Testing in the material characterisation lab will allow us to fully understand each material in order to design the most efficient bespoke handling solution.

“The lab will also be invaluable for customers’ development projects to test the feasibility of introducing a new product into their process – particularly vital if a prospective additive has the potential to be cohesive, or has a high moisture or fat content that could affect the flow of the powder in conveying pipework, weigh vessels or valves.

“Preventive testing can ultimately save thousands in processing downtime.”

Spiroflow’s chairman Michel Podevyn said: “Spiroflow already has a well-deserved reputation for technical excellence and commitment to customer satisfaction, supported by our rigorous testing programme that weeds out potential handling problems at a very early stage.

“Demand for our conveying and discharging systems is continually increasing in both domestic and global markets. We’re delighted about the combination of experience, scientific expertise and testing facilities that makes our new technology centre unique in the sector and enables us to meet this growing demand with renewed vigour and confidence.”