Dyson looks to secure its future with $2.35 billion R&D investment

Vacuum cleaner maker Dyson has begun work on a £250m scheme to expand its UK research and development base as the business famed for its design innovations hopes to secure its position at the leading edge of technology. Construction work has begun at Dyson’s headquarters in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, with the first new building scheduled to open its doors in early 2016. Once the scheme is finished the centre will create 3,000 new jobs, the majority of them in highly skilled science and engineering fields. The new staff will join the 2,000 engineers the company currently employs, half of whom are based in the UK. In total Dyson currently employs 6,000 staff worldwide, with 2,500 based in the UK. Dyson claims the design centre will be one of the most environmentally friendly commercial buildings in Britain, using structural glass to help manage its temperature, solar cells on its roof to provide power and a ground source pump to for heating.