Waters Corp. broke ground on its new mass spectrometry headquarters in the UK. Located on the 37-acre Stamford Lodge site, three miles south of Manchester Airport, the new facility is intended to unite Waters' existing MS operations, consisting of more than 500 employees, currently located on four separate sites in South Manchester and Altrincham. Plans for the new facility include customer demonstration laboratories, R&D capabilities, and an expanded manufacturing capacity.

Brian Smith, vice president of MS Business Operations at Waters Corp., said, "I am very excited that we now have the ability to move our high technology business forward and provide a world-class center for innovation in mass spectrometry. The new Waters MS Headquarters will be designed to accelerate the rate of innovation with increased access for the world's scientific thought-leaders. Science is such a major contributor to the history of Manchester and we are honored to be writing a new chapter in its rich heritage with our custom built headquarters in Wilmslow."

Terry Shortt, Waters' vice president of Global Quality Assurance and MSHQ Project Director, added, "We remain committed to the sustainability of the project and protecting the local flora and fauna. The building itself will be constructed to the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methods) 'very good' standard. We have also recently completed a purpose built home for the local bat population and will refurbish the sunken garden from the original lodge."

Manchester has long legacy of mass spectrometry innovation, beginning with John Dalton's Atomic Theory in the early 1800's, according to a Waters statement.