A major multi-national technology firm, which designs and manufactures heavy duty equipment for use in the oil and gas sector, has snapped up more land in Fife to support future expansion plans.
FMC Technologies, which employs more than 900 staff across two sites at Pitreavie and Halbeath in Dunfermline, confirmed it has purchased a further large mothballed site in the town.
It said it had no immediate plans for the 260,000sq ft former Somerfield distribution centre at Pitreavie but the site ensured FMC had the room to expand its subsea operations in the region if required.
The new facility is larger than FMC’s current subsea base at Pitreavie, which extends to 213,000sq ft and which accommodates hundreds of workers designing and manufacturing subsea trees and wellhead systems.
FMC bought the building for an undisclosed sum from Co-operatives Estates, after the mutual’s retail arm deemed it surplus to requirements during a rationalisation of its national distribution network which saw operations consolidated into a single site in the Central Belt.
FMC Technologies well completion systems manager Michelle Kinnes said the purchase gave the company the opportunity to expand its operations in Fife.
She said: “The property was purchased to support our global operation’s long-term development plan for our Subsea businesses in Scotland. We look forward to building on the success of our well-established local operations.”
Geoff Player, director of commercial and investment property with Co-operative Estates, said securing the sale of the site was a significant step in his group’s efforts to reshape its warehousing property.
He said: “We are delighted to have completed our second major industrial property transaction of the summer in Scotland after the recent sale of our former regional distribution centre in East Kilbride.
“Our UK warehouses marketing campaign is gathering very positive momentum. We have concluded over 1m sq ft of sales and letting transactions since the campaign started less than 12 months ago, and we have more significant deals in the pipeline.”
The Co-op was represented in the deal by agents Colliers International. Director Bryce Stewart said: “This is one of the largest industrial deals in the east of Scotland in recent years and certainly 2013.”
He added: “We have seen significant interest in the Co-operative Estates’ national warehouses in recent months and expect to make further positive announcements in the near future.”
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