Two senior appointments have been made at excavator manufacturer, Komatsu UK, in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street.

Liz Burton, 44, has joined as production control manager, while Mike Rimington, 42, has been appointed as production manager in the assembly department.

Ms Burton joins the company from Nissan, where she had more than 17 years experience as a production controller.

At Komatsu, she will be responsible for sales administration, long lead-time parts procurement and volume and capacity planning.

Ms Burton left Hampshire for the North-East 17 years ago and now lives in Hartlepool.

She said: "I love it up here and I have never looked back. I'm enjoying my new job because it's interesting and challenging. I am using many of the skills and experiences from my old job, but in a role with more responsibility."

Mr Rimington, from Spennymoor, County Durham, started work at Thorn Lighting, before joining Calsonic and Ikeda Hoover, eventually becoming production director of Tolwood, an automotive pressing supplier in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

On joining Komatsu, he said: "This is an exciting opportunity for me and I am looking forward to facing new challenges in a slightly different industry than I have experienced throughout my career to date."