Parker moves European HQ from UK to Switzerland
Parker Hannifin is moving its European headquarters from Hemel Hempstead in the UK to a new purpose-built facility in Etoy, around 40km north-east of Geneva in Switzerland. Last month a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the 5,300m2 building (shown in an artist`s impression, below) which will house up to 150 people over the next three to five years.
The site will support Parker’s sales and manufacturing activities for 22 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. One reason for locating the building in Etoy has been the tax incentives offered by the Swiss canton of Vaud for companies to develop new businesses in the region.
• Parker has bought Vansco Electronics, a developer of rugged controls, displays, sensors, and communications and operator interfaces, mainly for mobile applications. Vansco employs more than 1,000 people in Canada, the US, Finland, Belgium and the UK, and in the year ending August 2007, achieved sales worth around $180m. It will become part of Parker’s hydraulic technology business.
