The Humber is the UK’s second largest chemical cluster. New decarbonisation and renewable energy projects, including Humber Zero and Gigastack, are transforming the region.

  • £3.4bn

    GVA
  • £3.4bn

    Exports
  • 17,000

    Employment
  • 330

    Businesses

This cluser generates £18bn each year largely driveb by industrial processes.

Businesses by industry sub-sectors

The top three chemical subsectors in the Yorkshire and Humber are:

1. Manufacture of perfumes and toilet preparation

2. Manufacture of other chemical produces nec

3. Manufacture of pains, varnishes and similar coatings, mastics and sealants.

The Humber

The Humber is the UK’s second largest chemical cluster. New decarbonisation and renewable energy projects, including Humber Zero and Gigastack, are transforming the region. This cluser generates £18bn each year largely driveb by industrial processes.

The Saltend Chemical Park is a chemical cluster located in Hull with over 370-acre and is the home of blue-chip manufacturing, chemicals and renewable energy businesses. Several chemical companies have production facilities in this cluster because of its infrastructure and direct access to the Humber River – companies in here include INEOS, Bp, Mitsubishi, Yara among others. 

On the south bank of the Humber there is also large presence of chemical sites with some of the largest chemical plants and oil refineries in Europe. Many chemical companies specialised in medicine and health care industry can also be found on the south bank. Companies here include Novartis, Phillips 66 Humber refinery, BASF https://www.southhumber.co.uk/chemical-process-industries/ South Lincolnshire (south Humber) cluser https://lido.hull.ac.uk/Industry/Chemical map of chemical businesses in Hull area

GVA

This region is responsible for 10% of all gross value added by the national chemical industry.

Within Yorkshire and The Humber the chemical industry is responsible for 2.7% of gross value added from all production industries. 

Exports

This region’s export make up 6.2% of all chemical exports

Chemicals are 16.6% of all exports from the region and are exported in similar quantities to EU and non-EU countries (59-41)

Employment

Roughly 13.6% of all chemical and pharmaceutical employment is in Yorkshire and The Humber, with 4000 people working in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical preparation, 3500 in the manufacturing of paints, varnishes and similar coatings, mastics and sealants, and 1500 in mineral oil refining.

Our industry makes up for 6.9% of all manufacturing employment in the region.

The biggest manufacturing employers are food products manufacturing, fabricated metal products, and rubber and plastic products manufacturing.

Salaries

The average gross annual salary for chemical manufacturers in the region is: £46987,82

Even if gross annual pay in Yorkshire and the Humber tends to be lower than UK average for the average employee and the average manufacturing employee. Pay in all chemical sectors is higher than the UK average and the average regional salary.

When calculating pay based on employment level for the various chemical sub-sectors, we have that the type of sectors that the CIA represents pay £46k in Yorkshire and the Humber and £43 in the UK.

Universities and Industries

The Humber and wider Northen Powerhouse has 5 leading universities and produced 7655 industry-ready graduates a year specialising in courses related to the chemical sector. The University of York has established a center fro Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC).