Kwasi went Johnson & Johnson's European Vision Centre in Sunbury, the company's distribution centre for its UK manufactured contact lenses. He met the management team and talked about operations in Sunbury and the company more generally.
In an article for the Surrey Herald & News, Kwasi commented:
Johnson & Johnson is the world's largest healthcare company. It is at the forefront of medical research and development. The European Vision Centre, which opened in 1999, is the company's distribution centre for its UK manufactured contact lenses.
I had a chance to see what goes on behind the scenes, which was fascinating. On multiple floors, thousands of boxes of contact lenses are organised, labelled and packaged for transportation. Staff, automated machinery and robots work
seamlessly together.
Over 260 people are employed at the Vision Centre, in warehousing and distribution, transportation, IT and procurement. Local engineers and suppliers are used too, and products are delivered to local opticians, pharmacies and medical centres
direct.
The company has positioned itself in Sunbury so as to be close to London and particularly Heathrow Airport, from where as many as half a billion contact lenses are transported to Europe and the Middle East each year.
Indeed, the example of Johnson and Johnson illustrates how important the Airport is to the local economy. Many businesses have established themselves here because of this vital transport link. Over the years, many other enterprises have set up
to support Heathrow's needs and do business with one another.
These dynamics help explain why business is at the heart of life in Spelthorne. As I have said before, about 80% of people work in private enterprise here. That's unique.
As MP for the Borough, I am very focused on supporting local enterprise. I try to visit local businesses whenever I can to understand how they operate and the challenges they face.