A FAMILY-owned manufacturer of metal seals and gaskets is investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in facilities, creating 20 jobs and safeguarding 34.

Nicholsons Sealing Technologies is moving to a 50,000sq ft unit on the Greencroft Industrial Park, near Stanley, County Durham.

The premises will allow the company to merge its operations from two sites in nearby Hamsterley and Shotley Bridge, near Consett.

Managing director Jeremy Nicholson said: "We have reached the stage where we need to increase output in order to meet demand from existing and new customers in a highly competitive global market."

Nicholsons was established in 1923 and employs 130 people.

It specialises in high temperature metal seals and gaskets used by the aerospace, automotive, offshore, and power industries.

Clients include Rolls-Royce, Pratt and Whitney, Siemens and the Cummins Group.

Along with its two North-East sites, it employs 15 people at Corru-Seals Incorporated, its US sales and manufacturing base.

Derwentside Industrial Development Agency helped the company to secure a £249,000 expansion grant from regional development agency One NorthEast.