A company promising "clean air for life" to guard against aerosol transmission of viruses says it is set to create up to 195 new jobs in Scotland with the opening of a £9 million production facility.
Innova NanoJet Technologies is locating its first manufacturing plant in Scotland which will initially produce the company's CDa product series, a filter-less air purification system that uses ultra-fine droplet sprays to clean and disinfect indoor air. The product series includes versions for businesses, private homes and large public indoor spaces.
The investment is being supported by a package of funding from Scottish Enterprise, including a grant of £1.5m.
Registered in Scotland in August 2022, Innova NanoJet originally operated out of Glasgow before acquiring premises in Dumbarton in the autumn of last year. The business is a subsidiary of Innova Capital LLC which is owned by Charles Chunhua Huang, who is also chairman and chief executive of Innova NanoJet.
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Mr Huang got an economics degree at Wuhan University before traveling to Scotland for a master’s in business administration and doctorate in marketing at the University of Strathclyde.
According to the Strathclyde Business School website, Mr Huang is also founder and chairman of California-based private equity firm Pasaca Capital. Pasaca owns Innova Medical Group, which provided rapid lateral flow tests to the UK and other governments during the Covid pandemic.
“Thirty years after my graduation from the University of Strathclyde, I’m very thrilled to be back in Scotland to commence the production of our Innova NanoJet Technologies Ltd’s first commercialisation product that will revolutionise indoor air cleaning and disinfection which will benefit billions of people in the world," Mr Huang said.
"With Scottish Enterprise’s continued support, we look forward to developing and launching more innovative products and solutions for the world.”
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The company currently employs 20 people at the site in Dumbarton, which will also serve as the R&D centre for future products, plus four in the US and three in the Far East. Employment levels in the Vale of Leven are expected to reach 195 within three years.
“It’s fantastic to see a young, innovative company like Innova NanoJet Technologies invest almost £9m in Scotland," said Reuben Aitken, managing director of international operations at Scottish Enterprise. "Not only will this allow the business to scale quickly, it also means a significant number of new jobs created for local communities over the next few years.
“Companies like Innova NanoJet Technologies are great examples of Scotland’s continuing success at attracting inward investment, with EY’s Attractiveness Survey last week naming Scotland again as the number one UK location for Foreign Direct Investment projects outside of London."
According to those figures from accountancy group EY, Scotland retained its position as second only to London among UK locations in attracting new inward investment projects during 2023.
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The country won 142 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects last year, a 12.7% rise from the previous record annual figure of 126 achieved in 2022. This was the fifth consecutive year of increase, and EY noted Scotland was the only part of the UK to achieve this.
The increase in the number of inward investment projects won by Scotland in 2023 was more than twice as sharp as the 6% rise seen across the UK as a whole.
“Alongside our partners, we’ll continue to promote the wealth of business benefits Scotland offers to international companies and investors," Mr Aitken added.
Scottish Enterprise said it has worked closely with Team Scotland partners, including West Dunbartonshire Council and Skills Development Scotland, to "build a strong and long-term relationship" with Innova NanoJet as it has set up operations in Scotland.
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