REMPLOY has established a regional presence in the North-East to focus on the needs of the area's disabled people.

Under the management of John Waterhouse, the North-East team, based in Leeds, will cover from the Scottish Borders to the North Midlands.

It will help in the development of the group's unit on the Merrington Lane Industrial Estate in Spennymoor, County Durham, as well as other facilities in Hartlepool and Gateshead.

Among targets set for the North-East is the piloting of new initiatives, including a quotation management system and "ways of working" process. A personal profiling system is also being introduced to access the needs, aspirations and opportunities for each disabled Remploy employee in the region.

John Waterhouse, said: "Individually, our manufacturing facilities and personnel development programmes have long been regarded as success stories within the group.

"Now, with the formation of a regional facility, we have the opportunity to benefit from our respective experiences, and to ensure that collectively we offer the very best service to disabled people."