A MANUFACTURER which uses technology to reduce the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings is building a new head office.

DDC Dolphin is planning to add to a staff team of almost 100 with a recruitment drive late next year.

The business secured a seven-figure funding package from NatWest for expansion and is using a “significant amount” of the money to develop its new facility at Vantage Way, Poole. It will consist of an assembly and warehouse building, loading facilities, a two-storey office building and a car park.

Work began in June and is expected to be finished by summer 2022.

The business specialises in human waste management and sluice room requirements to control the spread of disease.

The new building will use energy-efficient materials and has been designed to achieve a top energy performance certificate (EPC) rating.

Brian Calder, managing director at DDC Dolphin, said: “The development of the new site is well under way and, with the help of NatWest, we’re driving forward our green ambitions while also creating new opportunities for the local area.

“We will continue to focus on our core market, which is the care home and hospital sectors. However, we are also keen to develop our consumables offering in non-medical settings such as schools, health clubs and beauticians, where awareness of the need for infection control has massively increased since the global pandemic hit. The new site will go a long way in helping us to achieve this.”

Mark Dancer, relationship director at NatWest, said: “Working on this deal alongside Brian and his team has been fantastic. The management team at DDC Dolphin has been in place for a long time and Martin Priest, the company founder, has guided the business through all types of economic conditions.

“The business has been historically profitable and has a wide range of skills in house. Its offering has also grown throughout the pandemic, and is set to benefit from wider increased awareness of the importance of infection control, so it’s great to play a small part in aiding their expansion plans.”