A CAR parts maker is expanding its workforce after stellar contracts provided a post-Brexit lift.

ElringKlinger (GB) aims to take on 30 staff after work with Ford and Jaguar Land Rover helped propel product sales to £21m.

The vow comes after boss Ian Malcolm told The Northern Echo he had a five-year plan to double the size of the company.

The business, based in Redcar, which is known for making gaskets and heatshields, also plans to add to its 27-strong apprentice team and modernise its tool store and materials storage facilities.

Mr Malcolm, managing director, said the additions would help the company continue its momentum following the EU referendum, adding he hopes to increase its £21m product sales by 50 per cent this year.

He also reiterated its drive to recruit the workers of tomorrow, revealing the company aims to build on links with education providers such as Teesside University and Middlesbrough College.

Mr Malcolm, who has overseen a factory extension to meet higher demand, said: “Like most businesses, we have felt a certain impact from Brexit.

“But with our clients globalising, projects are becoming much bigger and it’s promising to see the sales pipeline looking so healthy.

“We have invested strongly in the last five years, with £14.5m alone going into new equipment since 2012.

“The North-East boasts a highly-skilled employee base and we have plans to add up to 30 new recruits this year.

“We firmly believe in the importance of apprentices and will continue to invest time and money in an attempt to bridge the skills gap.”

The Echo previously revealed how the firm had secured a £19.5m deal to supply Ford with complex gaskets, beating US and European rivals in the process, and Mr Malcolm confirmed the effects of installing a wind turbine at its Kirkleatham Business Park base in 2014 has also helped its bottom line.

He added: “The turbine has proved a great success and been an effective way of reducing energy costs.

“In terms of the power produced, we are already ahead of where we should be and on target to achieve payback completion within five years.”

Speaking to the Echo last year, Mr Malcolm said: “We are very proud of our team; the bulk of the people here are local.

“We are putting something back, and, as our staff numbers continue to rise, growth over the next five years is forecast to double the size of the business.”