A NORTH-EAST plant will continue driving a tech firm’s assault on European markets after an increased focus on design work delivered record orders, its boss has revealed.

Stadium Group says its Hartlepool factory will remain fundamental to its evolution.

Charlie Peppiatt, chief executive, also told The Northern Echo new machinery will be installed at Hartlepool to bolster operations, saying he couldn’t rule out adding to the base’s 120-strong workforce.

Stadium, known for designing and making vehicle control panels, wireless devices and electronic displays, previously announced Hartlepool would become a European manufacturing centre of excellence.

The changes form part of a wider transformation spearheaded by Mr Peppiatt, which is seeing the company shift from a solely electronic manufacturing services firm to a design-led business.

Mr Peppiatt said work on the latter is already bearing fruit, with its higher-margin technology products division contributing around 60 per cent towards total annual revenues.

He told the Echo good progress was being made, despite Brexit anxieties and the disappointment of a customer taking design work inhouse.

He said: “When I took over in 2013, I outlined a strategy to make the business a design-led technology group and we have made steady progress and prepared ourselves for the next step forward.

“Leading up to Brexit there was a lot of caution.

“Customers were reviewing their order books and stock; people were in a form of semi-paralysis.

“Coming out of that there was some uncertainty and we have seen an impact from currency.

“But, despite all the significant changes in terms of currency and the tough market conditions, if you are doing the right things, it’s not all bad.

“Hartlepool is very solid and we are laying out our stall there as a European centre of manufacturing.

“We will be installing some equipment there and Chris Short (managing director for the group’s European manufacturing centre of excellence) is well and truly in seat now and has a strong team around him.

“The core at Hartlepool will stay at around 120 to 130 people, but we might flex that with temporary staff depending on demand.

“With the order book at new record levels and design and manufacturing centres of excellence in place, we are confident about the outlook for 2017 and beyond.”

Mr Peppiatt was speaking after Stadium announced a £750,000 deal to take on rival Cable Power Limited, which he said will bolster its existing power division and complement a previous agreement to buy power supply unit and transformer maker Stontronics.

He added: “Cable Power fits really well and supports the much larger acquisition of Stontronics in 2015.

“It is a specialist business focusing on different forms of cable power connections.

“As we do more and more electric devices, they all require different forms of cabling to power them up.”

Stadium previously revealed it had extended a contract with telematics operator Trak Global Solutions to make black box systems.

Officials said the devices are fitted to vehicles to assess driving styles, encouraging motorists to be safer, which can help premiums.