A DIGGER maker is laying the foundations for further decades of success after bolstering its workforce.

Komatsu UK has welcomed six apprentices and is expanding its staffing rota with 25 manufacturing jobs.

The expansion comes after The Northern Echo exclusively revealed the company had been chosen by its Japanese bosses to supply a next generation hybrid excavator, designed to cut fuel use, from its plant in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street.

Bosses say their staffing expansion will help the company, which employs around 400 people and this year celebrates its 30th anniversary, stay at the forefront of the European construction equipment sector.

The changes mean Komatsu now has 22 apprentices on its books, with many having progressed through to more senior ranks.

Those climbing the career ladder include Michael Redshaw, who started as a 16-year-old and is now a senior field support engineer, and Andy Raine, who oversees computer numerical control machines vital to the running of Komatsu’s production line.

Tracey Bowman, senior HR manager, said the firm’s focus on the younger generation will never wane, revealing a significant number who started with the company back in its early days are still there today.

She added: “We have been providing apprenticeships for the past 30 years and this has helped us develop a motivated and enthusiastic team.

“Andy and Michael are two shining examples of how an apprenticeship can help you to develop your career.”

Ms Bowman added 12 per cent of Komatsu’s current workforce will celebrate 30 years’ of service with the business in 2017.

Komatsu’s Birtley factory has experience of making thousands of diggers, ranging from 20-tonnes to 80-tonnes, and supplying machines fitted with longer arms to break down buildings.

However, bosses last year told the Echo its hybrid deal represented a significant coup and came after its Japanese hierarchy chose Birtley to supply a model using Komatsu’s Intelligent Machine Control (IMC) system for Europe.

Officials says IMC allows a digger to take control of projects by using satellite navigation to identify its position on the ground and its bucket movements, which dramatically cuts production time and reduces the need for secondary checks.

Peter Howe, Komatsu UK managing director, told the Echo: “We are a high-tech company and have products others don’t have.

“No-one is as successful with the hybrids as we are.”