LORD DIGBY JONES, Minister for Trade and Investment, praised North-East companies for their innovation and dynamism during a visit to the region.
Lord Jones was visiting companies in Gateshead and Newcastle at the invitation of UK Trade and Investment North-East.
The minister visited Davy Roll, in Gateshead, where they employ 292 people, supplying cast rolling mill rolls. More than three-quarters of its products are exported each year and the company won a Queen's Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category last year.
Lord Jones also meet Northern Defence Industries, the organisation that represents more than 200 regional small and medium sized companies in the defence and aerospace industry, which contributes about £2bn a year to the regional economy and secures more than 20,000 jobs.
He also visited Orla Protein Technologies, in Newcastle - a nano-biotechnology firm that was created through Newcastle University, in 2001.
Lord Jones said: "All these companies know that to succeed they must make use of all the opportunities globalisation offers.
"Davy Roll has invested in its workforce and its production facilities and it is reaping rewards.
"Orla Protein is exactly the sort of company that the region should be proud of."
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