WE have said it before and, no doubt, we will have cause to say it again – the importance of Nissan to the North-East cannot be underestimated.

The Japanese car maker has today announced a £37m investment in its record-breaking plant at Sunderland. The cash will buy a 5,200 tonne press to support production of the Qashqai, Juke, Note and electric Leaf models.

It follows the announcement earlier this week by another great North-East manufacturing name, Darchem, that it has secured a £50m nuclear waste deal which will create new jobs and secure others.

These are important announcements for our region – proof of growing confidence that the North-East is a good place in which to invest. With the Hitachi training-building plant opening later this year, there are plenty of reasons for optimism despite the ongoing economic challenges facing the region.

In Sunderland, we now have one of the world's leading car plants, producing more than 500,000 vehicles a year. With the expansion announced today, Nissan's North-East workforce will rise to 6,800, supporting 28,000 jobs in the supply chain.

The investment is a further tribute to Nissan's Sunderland workforce, which has set the standard for the region, and proved to be world-beaters.

The company would not go on investing in the North-East if it did not have complete confidence in the skills, experience and positive attitudes of the region's workers and that message needs to echo around the world.

With so many jobs at stake, we must never take Nissan for granted but the future for the North-East's flagship company looks increasingly bright.