A ground breaking ceremony has been held at Gloucester Business Park for an engineering group's new global headquarters.

Construction work has begun on a new 100,000 sq ft, state-of-art built-to-suit manufacturing facility for TBS Engineering, a world leader in automation for the battery industry.

The ceremony was attended by the project teams from Arlington, owners of Gloucester Business Park and TBS, together with Winvic the contractors on the development.

The facility includes 80,000 sq ft of manufacturing space together with 20,000 sq ft of office accommodation and is scheduled for completion in the Spring of 2018. When completed it will serve as TBS's new global headquarters, and provide employment for 170 people.

Dan Williams, development director of Arlington said: "We are thrilled to be partnering with TBS on the development of this exciting new HQ and look forward to working with them for years to come.

"This development comes hot on the heels of us completing the new HQ office for Horizon Nuclear Power and is testament to the skills of our delivery team and the opportunity at Gloucester Business Park to deliver new business space for all sorts of companies.

"It is also the first major announcement for Arlington following its corporate acquisition by TPG, and demonstrates the new owner's commitment to the strategy of developing out the significant land bank held by the business."

David Longney, TBS Engineering Group managing director said "Our investment in the new facility, is testament to the expertise, talent and engineering capabilities available to us in Gloucestershire.

"It is this local resource that has enabled us to stay at the forefront of our industry. Over the last fifty years TBS has led the world in the manufacture of lead acid battery equipment. At the heart of this growth, is our commitment to innovation and engineering and this new facility will support our continued expansion, research and development and position as a global leader."

Gloucester Business Park is already home to over 70 companies, includes extensive onsite amenities and is located at Junction 11a of the M5 and A417 dual carriageway.

TBS Engineering were represented by Cushman & Wakefield and Arlington by Alder King and Strutt & Parker.

Pictured: The ground breaking ceremony at Gloucester Business Park and an impression of how the new TBS Engineering HQ will look.