A FACTORY that will bring 200 jobs to a huge Bradford site celebrated its opening today.

Leeds-based Airedale by Modine, critical cooling specialists, purchased a 14.6-acre production facility off Tong Street in May, saying expansion was needed in response to increasing demand from global data center customers.

The business said it would bring 200 highly skilled jobs to the city within five years after opening, and that production would begin in December.

But production of the first units in the Bradford factory actually began this week - two months ahead of schedule.

The company has reconfigured the space, most recently used as a distribution centre for Hallmark, for the manufacturing and testing of computer room air handlers and fan wall units.

The company’s existing facility in Leeds will focus on chiller production.

Between the two sites, overall UK data center production capacity will increase by 150 per cent.

In addition to increased production capability, plans for the site include the construction of a state-of-the-art fan wall test center.

Once complete, the new R&D facility will expand Airedale by Modine’s overall testing capabilities and will see them welcome customers from across the globe for factory acceptance tests.

Adrian Trevelyan, managing director at Airedale by Modine, said: “The opening of the new Airedale by Modine manufacturing facility in Bradford marks an important milestone for our organisation.

"With significantly increased capacity, we can offer extensive support to the development strategies of data center operators, whose growth reflects the unfaltering demand for digital applications in society.

“I am delighted that as part of our strategy, we have been able to open a new production facility in Yorkshire in our 50th anniversary year, and invest further in manufacturing in the region.”

The company says the need for cooling systems is likely to continue due to the increasing use of AI applications.

As well has having sites in Bradford and Leeds, Airedale by Modine now operates out of Consett (UK), Guadalajara (Spain), Rockbridge, VA (US), Grenada, MS (US), Allen, TX (US) and Calgary (Canada).

When Airedale announced its new Bradford plant earlier this year Mark Cowgill, president of Bradford Chamber of Commerce said: “Airedale’s investment is yet further proof of Bradford’s highly diverse capability as an economic powerhouse.”