City companies on the move
A Sunderland-based business incubator is celebrating after two of its tenants announced plans to relocate to new, larger premises in the city.
Sunderland Software Centre opened in 2013 and is the city’s flagship venue for technology and creative businesses, with a purpose to enable businesses to grow.
Two of the latest companies to have benefited from the software hub are AM3D, which specialises in 3D printing, and Frontier Technical, which has pioneered cuttingedge technology that has the potential to transform the offshore sector.
Frontier Technical, which was founded by experienced engineer Trevor Hardcastle, chose to set up at Sunderland Software Centre after being offered extensive advice and guidance from the city’s council’s business investment team and colleagues close by at Port of Sunderland.
However, following a significant period of growth, the company has outgrown its current office space and has relocated to the purpose-built £6million Washington Business Centre.
“We can’t thank the staff at the Software Centre and Sunderland City Council enough for all of their help and advice over the last few years,” Trevor said.
“We’re now ready for the next chapter of our business journey and are excited to see what the future brings.”
Brothers Louis and Liam Monte founded AM3D after spotting a gap in the market and tailored their business model to capitalise on the growing market for “additive manufacturing”, using printers to create layered 3D objects.
Both studied in the region, at Northumbria University and the University of Sunderland, and were keen to establish the business in Sunderland, with its growing reputation for nurturing tech start-ups.
Liam said: “Within just 12 months, our order book has grown exponentially and we’ve had to invest in new machinery in order to keep the orders rolling in.
“We’ve now reached capacity at our current space at Sunderland Software Centre and have had to relocate to new, purpose built Hybrid offices at Washington Business Centre.”