Bender UK new office is officially opened

Official opening UK
Official opening UK

Bender UK held a formal opening of its new head office in Ulverston, Cumbria on Friday 24th March.

Barrow in Furness MP the Rt Hon John Woodcock unveiled a plaque in the reception area and afterwards toured the new 2000m² building to see offices, workshops, warehousing, conference facilities, customer training and product demonstration areas.

The event was attended by members of the Bender family, the Mayor of Ulverston Cllr Mark Wilson, supply chain partners, customers and local businesses.

The purpose-built facility at Low Mill Business Park is opposite Bender UK’s former home.  It is a showpiece for the company’s advanced continuous residual current monitoring (RCM) technology which constantly checks and delivers data on the health of the facilities electrical system, identifying potential problems before they become critical.

Bender Managing Director Gareth Brunton believes this technology will fuel further growth of the company which thirteen years ago employed just seven people, and now has a workforce of forty four across the UK. 

Mr Brunton commented: “As someone born and bred in Furness, I am immensely proud of the investment in the future of Bender UK right here in Ulverston, and the confidence shown by the Bender family in our excellent workforce.  There are huge opportunities for the technology being developed by our R&D team in Germany, which is tailored by our teams in the UK to meet the needs of our customers. 

John Woodcock commented: “It is tremendously encouraging to see a global company renewing its footprint in the UK, and to see here today representatives from local companies, business organisations and schools which help to make this area so special.  We are living in uncertain times but this occasion is a reminder that we must remain outward looking, serving the world and attracting investment.”

Mr Bender gave a presentation outlining the growth of the family company since his father Dr Walther Bender first came up with the idea of A-Isometer® insulation monitoring device, and talked about the founding of the UK business as a key strategic area for Bender Group.

Bender UK’s growth has seen healthcare become its biggest single market with more than 500 hospitals Bender technology and turnkey medical packages and service support to provide safe and resilient electrical power for critical ‘Group 2’ medical locations.

Bender technology is also used in a range of market sectors including submarines built in BAE Barrow and to safeguard the supply of power in Network Rail signalling systems.

Future developing markets include safety devices for both charging stations and electric hybrid drive systems for passenger vehicles including London’s ‘Boris Buses’.

Businesses which cannot afford power failures or shutdowns can also gain huge benefits from Bender continuous monitoring technology including data centres, utilities providers, and high value manufacturing and production operations.