Huawei today announced it is opening a new office in Greater Manchester, in a move which will boost the Norther Powerhouse with major jobs commitment, with over 50 jobs to be initially located in Salford.
The new space, which is spread over more than 4,000 sq ft, is located in the Blue Tower at MediaCityUK and is the company’s first in the city region and will house several of the firm’s key business operations including customer account teams, network design centre and delivery operations centre. It will house around 50 roles initially.
Huawei already supports 5,800 jobs in the North of England and the company stimulated a £1.7bn contribution to UK GDP in 2018 – specifically generating £300m in tax revenues in the North of England.
It is estimated that next-generation connectivity will support 850,000 new jobs in the Northern Powerhouse in the next 30 years, securing Manchester’s place on the world stage for the long-term.
Victor Zhang, Huawei Group President of Government Affairs said:
“This new office based in Greater Manchester further signifies Huawei’s continued commitment to the UK. We pride ourselves on our track record of investing at a regional level and stimulating local job creation also. Where better to base ourselves than at MediaCityUK which with its reputation for fostering creativity and innovation is attracting a host of other large scale international businesses. We look forward to partnering with Greater Manchester to assist it in its goal to become the UK’s leading digital hotspot.”
The MediaCityUK complex has gained a reputation for being an international hub for technology, innovation and creativity. Greater Manchester is also home to one of the fastest growing digital technology sectors in Europe.
Jerry Wang, Huawei UK CEO said:
“We are delighted to announce our first facility in the heart of the Northern Powerhouse and birthplace of the first industrial revolution. The North West is an important region for Huawei as we look to continue our growth in the UK. Greater Manchester’s talented workforce and emerging tech scene make it an exciting city to invest in, the city is now at the forefront of healthcare and university tech-led innovations today.”
Huawei supports 26,200 jobs across the UK both directly and indirectly including 2,200 in the North West of England. Before the opening of the new office in Greater Manchester, Huawei held many important partnerships with local institutions across the city including an R&D collaboration with the University of Manchester conceived in 2015. This alongside the skills training and support it provides to local businesses.
Earlier this year, 10% of the students inducted onto Huawei’s Seeds for the Future Scholarship Programme where from the University of Manchester. The 2019 programme saw 50 UK STEM students taken to China to visit Huawei’s HQ in Shenzhen and its research facilities in Beijing.
The programme shows students what it’s like to work for a large scale multinational organisation and how modern technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence are developed and made useful for society.
Huawei’s 5G Demo Truck will also be making an appearance at MediaCityUK, demonstrating 5G consumer case studies. Members of the public can fully experience virtual reality galaxies, streaming a live gig in 360° to friends or seeing how future smartphones will morph into tablets. Businesses and professionals will learn how cloud computing and VR will make education fully interactive and immersive.
Stephen Wild, Managing Director of MediaCityUK said:
“Huawei’s decision to base part of its UK operations here further demonstrates MediaCityUK to be a leading creative, technological and digital hub in the UK. Over the next decade MediaCityUK is set to expand physically and evolve digitally, meaning we can welcome even more cutting edge organisations from a variety of sectors and host more incubator and accelerator programmes. Our 5G infrastructure will support these advancements and will also enable us to test and hone our smart city ambitions.”
