Southgate opens Innovation Lab for logistics and fulfilment development
pharmafile | August 27, 2026 | News story | |Â Â Southgate Global, UK Innovation Lab, fulfilment and manufacturing operations, logisticsÂ
Southgate Global has opened its first UK Innovation Lab, creating an in-house facility for developing and testing equipment and practical solutions for logistics, fulfilment and manufacturing operations.
Based in Hixon, Staffordshire, the facility represents an investment of more than £250,000 in product development, prototyping and operational innovation. It is also Southgate’s first UK-based small-batch and prototype manufacturing capability.
The Innovation Lab brings product development, fabrication and testing together under one roof, allowing customers to work with Southgate’s engineering and operational specialists tions and test equipment before deployment in live operations.
The firm said the facility has been established in light of rising labour costs, increasing customer expectations and pressure on businesses to improve efficiency and sustainability. Southgate says the aim is to help organisations address operational bottlenecks and develop equipment tailored to specific requirements.
Gavin Rawson, head of logistics at Southgate, said: “Whether [it’s about] improving productivity, enhancing ergonomics, reducing waste or supporting sustainability goals, the facility allows us to rapidly develop, test and refine solutions before they’re implemented in live operations.”
The Innovation Lab supports the development process from early concepts and proof-of-concept designs through to prototype development, small-batch manufacturing and operational testing.
Bringing these capabilities in-house is intended to shorten development times and give customers greater visibility during the design process, while allowing Southgate to develop and evolve equipment in response to operational requirements.
The facility will also provide a base for collaboration between Southgate, its customers and industry partners, with plans for demonstrations, workshops and collaborative innovation projects as the facility develops.
Rawson said the focus was on developing solutions rather than simply supplying individual products.
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