A TOOLMAKER business run by three generations of a Hereford family is set to double the size of home.

Pearson Precision Toolmakers Ltd is taking on new staff and moving onto Hereford's Skylon Park Enterprise Zone at Rotherwas.

Work is underway to create the 2,600 sq ft manufacturing and office base for the 15-year-old firm which currently operates from a 1,100 sq ft unit at nearby Ravenswood Court.

Benjamin Pearson, his son Conrad, and grandson Samuel run the business which counts major brands including Bosch, Jaguar LandRover, Honda, British Aerospace and British Nuclear Power, among its customers.

It specialises in precision engineering, mould making and repairs using a variety of machines.

The building of the new premises at Coldnose Road is also a family venture as it's being built by a property development firm run by Conrad’s brother, Ben.

“We currently have three full time and two part time staff and are already interviewing apprentices so we can expand the business when we move into the new premises," said Conrad.

“This is a major investment for the business.

"Skylon Park is a great location for us as it keeps us at the heart of the network of major moulders we work with including AK Industries, Fluidmaster UK, the Helping Hand Company and Deyn Plastics, which are all based in Rotherwas."

Skylon Park is the 72-hectare site designated as the Enterprise Zone of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, the private sector-led organisation.

Chairman of the Enterprise Zone Board, Bill Jackson, said: “This new investment is great news for Skylon Park and illustrates the flexibility it has to provide a home to businesses of all shapes and sizes.

“The move by Pearson Precision will support our aim of providing a world class business landscape so businesses can grow and thrive and to create more jobs for local people.”