Lenovo is moving its employees from Riverside Business Park in Pottery Street, Greenock to its base in Glasgow and IBM is flitting its 300 agency staff from the ‘blue building’ call centre at Valley Park — formerly known as Spango Valley — into the Lenovo building.

This means an end to IBM’s 61-year presence at Spango Valley, where it used to employ several thousand people.

Lenovo leased the Riverside premises from regeneration body Riverside Inverclyde, who will have to make alterations to accommodate the call centre.

The moves will be completed by spring, and have come about because Lenovo wants to consolidate its IT support services in Braehead, and IBM’s lease at Valley Park is expiring.

A spokesman for Lenovo said: “Like any other business, we continually assess our real estate options to ensure we have the best footprint.

“As a result, we have taken the decision to bring together our office locations in Scotland.” He added: “This gives us the opportunity to have the whole Lenovo team together under one roof at our existing site in Glasgow.

“The move is planned for March, giving us the opportunity to work with our employees to make the transition to a new office as smooth as possible.” Asked if workers would get any assistance with travelling to Braehead, he said: “One of the reasons we’ve made the announcement so far in advance is to allow our team to plan their travel accordingly.” A spokeswoman for IBM said it continually evaluates its real estate requirements to match client needs.

She added: “IBM is proud of the contribution it has made to the Inverclyde community, and will continue to have a presence in the Greenock area.” Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe says he is disappointed Lenovo is leaving.

He said: “We hope Lenovo employees who move to Braehead will continue to live in Inverclyde. We don’t want people to move themselves and their families out of Inverclyde.

“It is reassuring, however, that IBM have decided to stay here.” It is two years since IBM moved most of its remaining operations from Spango Valley to Pottery Street, following a company review of facilities which had been scaled back radically in recent years after the ending of computer production.

The company had explored various options for new premises, including looking outside of Inverclyde, but local management lobbied successfully at national level to stay in this area.

IBM arrived in Inverclyde in 1951, starting production in leased premises in Battery Park, before moving to Spango Valley three years later.

It made typewriters, printers and other office equipment before going into the production of computer servers and laptops.

The company abandoned manufacturing several years ago, and now provides a number of business services to customers across the globe.

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil said: “Following the aborted plans for the new prison adjacent to Spango Valley, this leaves a sizeable vacant site. “In the interests of the community it is important that these sites are not left vacant.”