A GLOBAL support services company has officially opened its Worcester facility.

Atkins is one of the world's leading providers of technology-based consultancy and support services.

The company's new Shared Services Facility (SSF), in Newtown Road, launched yesterday, provides centralised accountancy services for the group's 125 offices in the UK and will also provide other shared services in the future.

The SSF already employs 150 people - most of them drawn from the Worcester area - and will eventually house 350 employees.

Investment in the SSF has so far run to £30m, a sum that is expected to be recouped within three years.

Worcester MP Mike Foster helped unveil a plaque at yesterday's opening, attended by clients, businesspeople and local authority representatives.

Mr Foster said it was important for the future of the city to attract world-class companies such as Atkins.

"It's important for Worcester to attract world leaders, not only for the local economy, which will benefit from the millions of pounds generated by Atkins, but also because people would have had to commute outside the city for jobs such as these," he said.

He said it had been the right decision by Worcester City Council to allow the Kings Court office development, which houses Atkins, to go ahead.

"Atkins brings to Worcester the type of employment and opportunities we would like to see in the city," he said.

"High-tech, high value job opportunities are the future of our city."

The paperless SSF - all incoming documents are scanned at high speed and dealt with electronically - has been running since January and is a "new product offering" according to Atkins chief executive, Robin Southwell.

Servicing the internal needs of the Atkins group, the plan is to, over time, service the needs of other companies using the management processes and expertise developed by Atkins.

"We want to get up and running and feel comfortable ourselves and then introduce the product into the market place over time, once robust processes are in place," said Mr Southwell.

"It's a very strategic move for the company."

The company also unveiled its new logo at the opening, which sees the former WS Atkins become simply Atkins.

Worldwide, Atkins employs 15,000 people in 175 offices.