GLOBAL electronics manufacturer Stadium Group is to make its Hartlepool facility the European Manufacturing Centre of Excellence within its worldwide operations.

The Hartlepool site has been subject to major investment, new contracts and leadership recruitment in the past 12 months and the Centre of Excellence strategy will safeguard more than 100 jobs and bring £1m worth of hi-tech equipment and a significant amount of new business to the factory.

The 6,000m² site already has plans for a £250,000 key investment for this year to further enhance Quality and Delivery for customers through improved Advanced Technology, Lean Techniques, Specialised Supply Chain Initiatives and further up-skilling of the current workforce in the leading electronics IPC 610 and J Standard Training. 

Charlie Peppiatt, Stadium Group chief executive, said: "One of our strategic objectives, as outlined in the recently announced 2015 financial results, is to continue to develop the operating model to deliver the Group’s customer focused, design-led technology proposition supported by strategically
located design centres, manufacturing centres of excellence and regional fulfilment centres.

"This news about our Hartlepool site is another step forward on delivering this strategy.”

Chris Short, UK Operations Director said, “Today’s announcement is very exciting for our Hartlepool plant. If successful, the site will lead our European manufacturing operations and offer a bright future for the site and its workforce. We are fully committed to ensuring that we have world class facilities through investment in hi-tech equipment and experienced
electronics industry leadership, and Hartlepool remains a key component to our business model and growth strategy.”

In support of the strategy to develop a manufacturing centre of excellence at Hartlepool, the group registered head office will relocate to the company’s Reading site, allowing Hartlepool to focus entirely on its core competences in design, manufacturing and fulfilment, the firm said.

In a trading update, the company said the Reading move "in no way impacts our continued commitment to Hartlepool as one of our key manufacturing centres of excellence".

Stadium Group also said that trading in the first three months of 2016 has been in line with management expectations and the company now expects further revenue growth in the second half of the year.