Award winning Huntingdon manufacturing and engineering company Encocam Ltd has announced the freehold purchase of the iMET training centre at Alconbury Weald from Urban and Civic.

The building, which has remained empty since the centre closed its doors in 2021, will be relaunched as the flagship head office for Encocam, one of East Anglia’s leading employers, manufacturers and exporters.

The iMET name, which stands for Innovation, Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology, will be retained by Encocam as it represents the four cornerstones of Encocam’s success.

The announcement comes just one month after Encocam’s Cellbond business unit was named as a recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2022, in recognition of outstanding export performance.

In a boost to the local economy, iMET will become home to the CellbondATD project team – specialist engineers and technicians who design, develop, build and test innovative crash test dummies.

iMET’s extensive workshop space will be developed into a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited test facility with three times the equipment currently available.

This will free up valuable space at Encocam’s three existing Huntingdon facilities which will be converted for manufacturing aluminium honeycomb foil, crash test barriers, vacuum tables, motorcycles and bespoke composite panels.

Founder and chairman, Dr. Mike Ashmead, OBE, says he is looking forward to the expansion.

“This is an exciting time for Encocam. We celebrate 35 years in business next year and the organisation continues to grow and develop. The investment in iMET will allow us to employ more staff to develop new products and services, and increase the output of existing goods”

Encocam already operates from three manufacturing sites in Huntingdon on the Stukeley Meadows Industrial Estate, employing a diverse workforce of 222 staff.

A fourth unit is in the process of being purchased. Encocam has agents in China, India and South Korea and has offices in Germany, Spain, and the US as well as a test facility, offices, and warehousing in Japan. Business units consist of · CellbondATD; Corex Honeycomb; Bespoke Composite Panels; Cellbond Barriers; Energy absorbers and FEA Modelling; Stonehill Engineering; Herald Motorcycle Company.