Sellafield supplier's investment creates jobs in Cumbria
A new data contract leads to new technical centre based in Whitehaven.
From left to right: Phil Shepley, vice president, Iron Mountain, Gordon Jack, chief information officer, Sellafield Ltd, Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, Martin Denvir, head of information management, Sellafield Ltd and Phil Hallington, head of policy, Sellafield Ltd.
A Sellafield Ltd supply chain company is growing its business in West Cumbria after winning a new contract.
Iron Mountain, the storage and information management services company, has unveiled a new office and increased its workforce as part of the expansion.
The firm’s new base at Hensingham Business Park, Whitehaven, was officially opened by Copeland Mayor Mike Starkie.
It will see Iron Mountain’s local workforce increase from 36 to 61 employees.
The expansion is another example of Sellafield Ltd’s power to leverage investment into its local community via its supply chain.
The move will also see services previously delivered at Sellafield transferring off-site, freeing up valuable space for decommissioning work.
Gordon Jack, Sellafield Ltd’s chief information officer, said:
Iron Mountain has been providing records management services to Sellafield Ltd for many years. These are critical services in support of decommissioning work and conformance with site license arrangements.
The move of these services to Hensingham Business Park was driven primarily by our site accommodation strategy. Just as importantly, it will deliver benefits to our local community through apprenticeship and employment opportunities.
Iron Mountain’s new facility will carry out scanning and archiving of engineering documents. The scale and complexity of the project allowed scope for the company to expand its West Cumbria operation.
Phil Shepley, Iron Mountain’s vice president and general manager for northern Europe, said:
“Our work at Sellafield dates back 15 years. The signing of the new contract meant that we needed to expand our offices.
“The new facilities are not only driving local regeneration, they’re also creating local jobs, including three apprenticeships.
“Sellafield Ltd’s strategy to move these services off-site has proven to be a great decision as services have been maintained despite the challenges of COVID-19.”
The company’s work also includes the storage and archiving of the contents of around 100,000 boxes of records.
These form part of a vital historic registry that continues to be accessed to underpin the Sellafield Ltd decommissioning programme.