A reputation for regional excellence (From The Northern Echo)
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A reputation for regional excellence
7:47pm Thursday 18th March 2010 in
REPUTATION is at the heart of business success.
If a business acquires a bad reputation for product quality and customer service, it will fail.
But if it builds a reputation for excellence, success is very likely to follow.
That is certainly the case with Nissan's North-East plant. It has steadily built a world-class reputation for flexibility and delivery - and that was the key to the region winning the race to manufacture the Leaf electric car.
For too long, the North-East has suffered from a scatter-gun approach to its economy. It needs to build its future around niche industries and it is now in prime position to develop sustainable wealth around the low carbon vehicle market.
We have Nissan and its brilliant North-East workforce to thank for laying those exciting foundations.
But this economic success story should also send an important message to politicians about the effectiveness of the the North-East's regional development agency.
It spells out why we need a heavy-hitting regional body capable of pulling the strengths of the North-East together, instead of a collection of councils fragmenting the message.
It is one year ago next week since Nissan and One North-East signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the possibilities of a zero emission vehicle programme.
I question whether such an ambitious programme could have been delivered so swiftly without that regional voice.
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Alan Macnab says...
9:27pm Thu 18 Mar 10
As you know the Tees Valley suffers from very high unemployment and there are very little alternative employment opportunities. It seems that the Tees Valley is the poor relation of the North East. Our transport infastructure is poor - road, rail and air compared with Tyneside and Wearside and regeneration does not seem to be happening. All the good things are happening on Tyneside and Wearside i.e. the upgrading of the Tyneside Metro and now Nissan. Is the regional development agency paying sufficient attention to the Tees Valley?
Perhaps we need another Prime Ministerial 'walk in the wilderness' and the creation of a Tees Valley Development Corporation specifically charged with bringing major employers to and carrying out the regeneration of the Tees Valley