Apollo Chemicals has invested £540,000 in a new technical centre in response to growing business demands and its commitment to customer support.
Located on the Amington Industrial Estate in Tamworth, Apollo was established in 1972 and remains a family-run business, employing 180 colleagues.
Reflecting the business’ family values, the new technical centre has been named the ‘Robert Saunders Building’ in memory of Apollo founder and pioneer of polyurethane technology. The building was officially opened by Robert’s wife Gill, with all of the company’s employees present at the unveiling.
Commenting on the investment, Jon Saunders, Apollo chairman, said: “Technical expertise has always been our key asset, and The Robert Saunders Building will enable us to offer unparalleled support for our customers in terms of product testing, demonstrations and training. During the last five years, we have seen tremendous business growth and have almost doubled the number of employees as we’ve developed the Apollo brand in the adhesive, construction and roofing sectors.
“Unveiling the Robert Saunders Building is a tribute to the hard work of all our employees who continually strive to make our business a success. My father helped pioneer polyurethane technology, enabling Apollo to become the first UK manufacturer to develop solvent-free polyurethane adhesives, and his technical knowledge paved the way for today’s innovations. I’m sure he would be as proud of the business today as he was when he started it back in 1972, and I’m delighted that his legacy lives on as we launch our new technical centre in his name.”
Work began on the Robert Saunders Building back in March and features a product testing lab, two training and demonstration suites, offices for the Apollo technical team and additional meeting room facilities.
Jon added: “We are looking forward to inviting customers to experience our new facility, which further demonstrates our commitment to our ‘More than adhesives’ brand promise – market-specific products and services backed up with technical, compliance, logistics and sales and marketing support.”
