Major Local Company Watson-Marlow Bredel sponsor the Funchal 500
Watson-Marlow Bredel Pumps, one of the five largest employers in Falmouth, is the latest company to announce sponsorship of the Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta in Falmouth, from 10th to 13th September.
The company is a world leader in its field, and celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2006. In 1956, the company's founder, Bernard Refson, based in Marlow in Buckinghamshire, developed the peristaltic pump, which was to become the company’s core product. In 1969 the company relocated to Falmouth to a purpose-built factory in landscaped grounds on Bickland Water Road, which the company still occupies today.
Watson-Marlow Bredel Managing Director, Christopher Gadsden, says "We are here because of the love of the sea of the company's founder, and there are few people in the company who don't have some connection to the water, be it surfing or sailing or fishing. Everything about the company is rooted in Cornwall and our people, and we are always keen to support local community initiatives. The Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta is a wonderful event, and we are all looking forward to touring the ships when they are in port".
Peristaltic pumps confine the fluid in the pump to a flexible tube, protecting it from contamination, Watson-Marlow Bredel is the largest manufacturer of peristaltic pumps in the world, with over one million pumps sold to date. 80% of production is exported to over 60 countries, with direct sales teams based in twelve countries across the globe from the South Africa to Sweden, and the USA to Korea.
Over the years Watson-Marlow Bredel has acquired other companies in its field, and now has factories in the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, employing some 450 people altogether. The company has ten offices throughout the UK, and employs 174 people at its factory and office base in Falmouth, with plans to expand leading to further jobs becoming available. Watson-Marlow Bredel has a staff-focussed company ethos, with many of the 12 original Falmouth staff who joined in 1969 still working for the company today. Current vacancies are detailed on the website www.watson-marlow.co.uk.
It is very likely that many of the everyday products that we use in our homes will have come into contact with a pump manufactured by Watson-Marlow Bredel. The applications are endless and include water and waste treatment, brewing, food, beverages, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemicals, ceramics, paper, pulp, paints, engineering, mining, agriculture and cosmetics. So the pill you swallowed this morning, the breakfast cereal you ate (and the box it came in), or the water you drank all having been made using pumps produced by Watson-Marlow Bredel right here in Falmouth!
“As Chairman I am delighted to welcome on board this prestigious local company in supporting us and the community of Falmouth, in staging the Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta” commented John Hick, Chairman of the Regatta Steering Committee “The commitment of local businesses such as Watson-Marlow Bredel is fundamental to the success and the ability of Falmouth to host wonderful Tall Ships events – so welcome on board!” |
