WINCHAM manufacturer Cygnet Texkimp is investing £1 million to expand its machinery and materials research centre after receiving one third of funding for the scheme from the Textiles Growth Programme.

The investment will also create nine jobs over the next two years as the company, part of Cygnet Group, increases capacity across its research and design, mechanical and electrical design and software engineering functions.

The company, which specialises in the design and manufacture of machinery to handle and process technical fibres, plans to double the size of its research centre by creating a purpose-built clean room where customers can run full-scale, secure product trials.

It will also develop six new pieces of technology for the global technical fibres and textiles market.

The Textiles Growth Programme forms part of the Regional Growth Fund, and is a dedicated grant growth programme designed to drive investment in Britain’s textile supply chain, with a focus on the north of England.

“This major investment in R&D gives us and our customers the tools to be first to market with the best new technologies and is expected to have a significant impact on the future performance and direction of global technical fibre industries,” said Luke Vardy, technical director of Cygnet Texkimp.

Cygnet’s Group Finance Director Bren Hutchinson adds: “The funding from the Textiles Growth Programme has helped us to accelerate our investment in areas where we expect to see most growth in the coming decades, therefore enabling us to grow sales and jobs for Cygnet Texkimp and for our supply chain in the UK sooner than planned.”