A LEADING North-East manufacturer said the development of a new £11m press plant was part of a 30-year commitment to the region.

Car parts maker Gestamp Tallent, which employs more than 1,300 people in Newton Aycliffe, has updated the oldest part of its factory to meet the demands of blue chip customers such as Jaguar, Landrover, Volvo, Ford, BMW, Nissan and Honda.

The 17-metre tall extension is 75 metres in length and provides an extra 3,900 square metres of floor space, creating a 250m-long press shop.

It is also home to two presses - costing £6.2m between them - which the firm said will improve efficiency and output.

The move underlines Gestamp Tallent's position as one of County Durham's biggest employers.

Peter Gallone, plant director said: "This further demonstrates how important our people are to us, and we are to them.

"This is a 30-plus-year investment. We have presses that have been on site since 1982, so that gives you an idea of how long we want these facilities to carry on producing parts here in Newton Aycliffe.

"When people drive past and they see a 17-metre tall building coming out of the ground, they can see there's investment here and it's great for the town and the area.

"We employ more than 1,300 people directly - and hundreds more indirectly through our supply chain - which means we're contributing significantly to the local economy, which we feel is important.

"We also think it's important that we communicate with both our employees but also the local community.

"It's part of my plan to open up to the local businesses and the local community, to help them understand what we do, in the hope that we continue to attract local people as employees."

Gestamp Tallent's latest investment was headed up by Graham Moore, who has been with the firm since he joined the then Tallent Engineering as an Apprentice Maintenance Technician in 1991.

Mr Moore and his team oversaw the design and build of two presses which were assembled in the Basque region of Spain, Gestamp's homeland.

Once approved they were then stripped down and transported to Newton Aycliffe.

Mr Moore said: "The press shop was one of the last remaining old low level buildings within the plant and the first part of what used to be known as Tallent Engineering.

"It's been a real challenge, but the progression press is ready for production and we expect the transfer press start production in May some time.

"Ultimately they will relieve the additional workload and capacity that we couldn't previously manage within the plant.

"Now we have to make sure they work and give Gestamp the return on investment we committed to, that means we need to get the plant up to the required levels of efficiency for large volume production.

"It's a big responsibility, but major investments like this don't come along that often, so it was a golden opportunity for our team to manage it and relish that responsibility."

Over the last three years Gestamp Tallent has grown output and staff numbers to record levels. Turnover has grown substantially in that time, and expects it to increase by 16 per cent this year with a further 12 per cent increase by 2017. More than 60 per cent of the components made at the Aycliffe site are exported.

The firm has recruited 150 staff in the last eight months, increasing its workforce to 1,322, many who have been with the firm for more than a quarter of a century.

Gestamp Tallent also develops local engineers and tool makers, with 52 Apprentices currently with the company and plans to take in 10 a year up to 2018.

The £1.3m investment in the Gestamp Tallent Training Academy has also transformed the former Sanyo site into a training facility which will not only train Gestamp's workforce of the future, but will also help them to develop their existing staff.