The second coming of regional manufacturing

The opening earlier this month of Hitachi's train factory at Newton Aycliffe is the most visible sign that the region's reputation for making things has a future as well as a glorious past.

Hitachi's £82m investment in County Durham will create more than 700 jobs and its impact on the supply chain is expected to be even more significant. But it is only part of the story.

Aycliffe Business Park, which supports thousands of jobs, is home to scores of manufacturers, producing everything from car chassis to masks used by doctors treating ebola patients.

Netpark at Sedgefield is a technology hothouse whose biggest success stories to date include hi tech scanner maker Kromek - which is helping to combat terrorism, cancer and nuclear pollution - and Polyphotonix, the designers of a pioneering mask that treats diabetic blindness.

Under the leadership of Geoff Turnbull Peterlee-based precision engineering company GT Group is powering ahead as turnover and profits are tipped to soar by 50 per cent during the current financial year, following major investments last year.

Gaining insight into business strengths and areas for growth and improvement is vital for maximising opportunities for expansion and diversification.

Durham County Council is leading a task force which aims to ensure the region makes the most of its manufacturing strengths and exploits opportunities in emerging sectors.

Simon Goon, managing director of inward investment body Business Durham, said: “We’re delighted to build on the success of the Hitachi opening and Durham is well placed to attract further investment.

"Manufacturing companies are more likely to engage in research and development, innovation and exports. They are more inclined to pay workers more and are more resilient and productive than the UK’s economic base as a whole. There are many manufacturing success stories here already and we’re looking forward investigating ways we can provide a further boost for this sector.”

SOME of County Durham's key manufacturers:

CATERPILLAR runs at articulated truck plant in Peterlee, east Durham, where thousands of huge heavy-duty vehicles roll off the production line every year.

From sub-zero temperatures in the Arctic to oppressive heat in the Sahara, the trucks are built to tackle the toughest terrains.

Caterpillar’s site was founded in the early 1970s when engineer David Brown set up business using Caterpillar powertrain components and employed about 30 people.

Evolving to become known as Artix, its products were badged as Caterpillar, and in 1996, it became 100 per cent Caterpillar-owned.

Employing hundreds of workers, it uses 35,000 tonnes of steel every year to help make its trucks and could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in the same time frame with the oil and fluids needed to send vehicle’s on their way.

INDUSTRIAL mask maker 3M runs its global personal protection division from its factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

The company produces millions of masks every year to stop users inhaling dangerous dust and vapours.

Employing 320 staff at its Heighington Lane base, some of the firm’s masks were used by British Army medics during UK-based training for deployment to Ebola-stricken Sierra Leone.

A flagship factory for face mask protection, the Aycliffe site leads the design and development of 3M’s products, which have been sent out to manufacturers across countries including Russia, Turkey and Poland.

EXPANDING family-run manufacturer Ebac is launching an assault on the white goods market in major expansion plans.

The firm, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, is weeks away from becoming the UK’s only maker of washing machines.

The appliances are expected to go on sale later this year and the £7m venture has captured the attention of retailer Currys, which has agreed a deal to stock machines.

Ebac employs more than 200 people and hopes to create more jobs from its washers and a drive to make chest freezers after buying the collapsed Icetech Freezers.

Production of the equipment, branded Norfrost by Ebac, is carried out alongside its renowned dehumidifiers and water coolers.

CAR parts firm TRW Automotive revealed earlier this year it wants to create 300 North-East jobs to increase its global standing.

The company is bolstering the production line at its factory in Peterlee, east Durham, with plans to take on 100 staff this year, and 300 by 2018, to take its workforce to about 1,000.

The business specialises in safety electronics, such as forward looking cameras and airbag control units, and was previously backed by Government Regional Growth Fund cash, which was used to buy production equipment.

Based in Peterlee since 1989, it operates from a site on the North West Industrial Estate, and has a sister factory in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, which focuses on steering systems.

MICROELECTRONICS producer Compound Photonics makes semiconductors and employs more than 100 workers in the region.

It has made its home in the former Aycliffe Fujitsu plant, after buying the site from RF Micro Devices.

Last year, bosses told The Northern Echo they wanted 100 highly-skilled staff to support its growth into new markets, adding the Aycliffe base will work as its global headquarters.

The firm is known for work on projection light engines for mobile devices, projectors and automotive displays.

LAWNMOWER maker Husqvarna is known for producing Flymo garden equipment.

Employing more than 200 North-East workers and hundreds more temporary staff, it is one of the largest employers on Aycliffe Business Park.

Its status in the region was strengthened last year when it took on its first apprentices for six years, working alongside Aycliffe training provider South West Durham Training.

The move quashed fears over the company’s North-East future, after bosses previously revealed plans to close its research and development centre and send about 40 skilled jobs abroad.

LIGHT maker Thorn employs about 600 staff, and operates from a £28m 40,000sq metre plant on Green Lane Industrial Estate, in Spennymoor, County Durham.

It makes about 3.5 million lights every year, with its products used by a number of operators, including supermarkets and education providers.

The firm is part of the Zumtobel Group and trains hundreds of people on industry techniques at its Academy of Light.

CONSETT is a hotbed for food manufacturing. Ready meal firm Greencore supplies many of the leading supermarkets. As well as its sandwiches, the company makes 150 million ready meals every year, as well as 200 million bottles of cooking sauces and pickles and 530 million Yorkshire puddings. The firm’s Consett site forms part of Greencore’s prepared meals business, responsible for producing chilled ready meals, pasta sauces, soups and quiches, with its food-to-go business based elsewhere across the UK, charged with making more than 350 million baguettes and wraps every year, as well as salads and sushi.

DRUGS firm Glaxosmithkline is Teesdale’s largest employer. Its 1,000 jobs factory at Barnard Castle is the headquarters of its skin division and includes a £20m dermatology centre of excellence. This year will mark its 70th anniversary in the region.

CAR parts manufacturer Gestamp Tallent employs more than 1,300 people at its Newton Aycliffe facility.

It supplies customers such as Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo, Ford, BMW, Nissan and Honda with car chassis components. The firm recruited 150 extra staff over the past year and employs about 50 apprentices, and plans to take on 10 a year up to 2018.

JAPAN'S Hitachi has invested £82m to make Aycliffe the centre of its European train manufacturing operations. David Cameron last week performed the official opening of the 730-jobs plant which will make trains for the inter city express programme to replace old rolling stock on the East Coast and Great Western lines. Hitachi bosses predict that more jobs and apprenticeships will be created as the order book fills up, and the site has the potential to support thousands of jobs at local suppliers.

FORMER England striker turned Match of the Day host Gary Lineker may be the public face of Walkers Crisps, but much of the hard graft behind this hugely successful brand is done at its factory at Peterlee, which is owned by food and beverage multinational Pepsico.

NSK Bearings Europe has been producing vehicle bearing products in Peterlee since 1976, producing automotive bearing products for most major car makers. As well as an on-site training centre, established for the firm's 400-strong workforce, support from the regional growth fund is bringing improvements to its production line and warehousing.

Founded in 1916 as Japan’s first ball bearings manufacturer, the company has grown and diversified and is now a designer and manufacturer of automotive bearing products, and precision machinery and parts.