04 | Aycliffe Today Business
Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 05
/NEWS
XCEL HOSTS
EXCITING EVENT
Aycliffe is Centre
of Excellence
With Stewart Watkins
My job constantly surprises as I see
more and more examples of world class
businesses.
Aycliffe Business Park offers many such
examples. It accommodates over 250
businesses which provide over 8,500
jobs for the area and has an excellent
reputation for its range of manufactured
products and engineering skills.
International companies including 3M
and Husqvarna, Ineos and Lucite sit
alongside home grown companies such
as Roman Ltd, Aycliffe Fabrications, Finley
Structures, Stiller Transport and A-Tech
Fabrications Ltd amongst many others.
This reputation increased when Fujitsu
chose the Park for its semi conductor
plant, the first example of clean room
technology in the region.
With help and guidance from Business
Durham, the Aycliffe Business Park Community
(ABPC) has been established over the last few
months to create an informal group to draw all
companies on the Park together, network and
ultimately improve communication.
The Hub of this group will be a new website,
which will include a FREE online directory for all
companies on the Business Park to include their
details, and was due to be launched at the Xcel
Centre on Friday 1st February.
DRIVER-TRAINING
IS OFFERED
Safe and fuel efficient driver training is being
offered to company drivers in the south Durham
area.
Courses, run by Durham County Council, are
being offered to businesses in the Bishop
Auckland, Shildon and Newton Aycliffe areas as
part of the Local Motion project.
RFMD now operates from the building
alongside Filtronic plc and neighbouring
Senstronics also produces its pressure
sensors in a clean room environment.
The project aims to provide information, advice
and support to people to find alternative forms
of transport in order to reduce the number of
private car journeys they take.
Tallent Automotive has produced a range
of products for over 60 years and is now
the prime supplier of components and
assemblies to major car manufacturers.
It recognises, however, that many companies
have to use their vehicles as part of their
business and is therefore also funding courses
to help company drivers be safer and more
environmentally friendly by improving their fuel
efficiency.
The recent announcement that Hitachi
will be building trains at Newton Aycliffe
by 2016 is also great news. Its trains will
run along the original line of the 1825
Darlington to Stockton Railway, bringing
train manufacturing back to its birth place.
Aycliffe has long been a centre of
excellence for manufacturing and long
may it continue to do so.
Stewart Watkins
Managing Director
Business Durham
The REAL value of HR
With Zanna Bewick
The Xcel Centre was due to host a
launch event to promote an exciting
new venture for all companies on
Aycliffe Business Park.
This laid the foundations for the
high-technology businesses that are
developing throughout the County,
particularly at NETPark.
One of its early products was the Colston
washing machine and I am delighted that
Ebac Ltd has announced its intention to
bring washing machine manufacturing
back to Newton Aycliffe and the UK.
A NEW ERA
FOR REDWORTH
The courses are available to businesses which
have staff who drive a car or light commercial
vehicle (up to three tonnes) as part of their
company role.
A number of companies in the south Durham
area have already taken advantage of the
training with one company reporting a 27 per
cent improvement in fuel efficiency, which
equates to an extra 12 miles per gallon of fuel.
Alan Kennedy, road safety manager at Durham
County Council, said: “We’re inviting companies
who are interested in taking part in the safe and
fuel efficient driver training to contact us.
“The course lasts a full day and is taken by
instructors who are all level five or six approved
Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson was expected to
be the special guest, and he said: “I think it’s a
fantastic idea.
“We’ve already seen how effective teamwork can be with the hugely-successful
Apprenticeship Awareness Programme with
Woodham Academy, when companies came
together to improve the profile of the park and
Apprenticeships.
“It seems to make perfect sense to
have such a forum and I’m sure it will
only help all companies on the Park.
”
More details about the new website, its launch
and how to register your details FREE will be in
our March-April issue.
driving instructors, who are fleet trained and
fully qualified in safe and fuel efficient driver
training.
“There is no limit on the number of places
companies can request and we are happy to
discuss with companies how we can best work
with them to deliver the training.
”
Following the training companies receive a
full written report for each person who has
completed the course, including information
on potential fuel and cost savings as well
as potential carbon reductions and safety
improvements.
Sarah Fay, sustainable travel co-ordinator at
Durham County Council, said: “The Local
Motion project, which is funded by the Local
Sustainable Transport Fund, aims to encourage
people to change their behaviour to reduce the
number of car journeys they take and instead
use other forms of transport.
“We recognise that business drivers have to
use their vehicles so this course is designed
to help make their journeys less harmful to the
environment by reducing their carbon emissions
and improving their fuel efficiency.
“The course is one of a number of initiatives we
run as part of the Local Motion project.
”
Companies interested in finding out more about
the training should contact Durham County
Council’s Road Safety Team on 03000 268 172.
Further information on the Local Motion
project is available at
www.dothelocalmotion.co.uk or by
calling 0800 45 89 810 or emailing
dothelocalmotion@darlington.gov.uk
After being taken over by the Puma
Hotels collection last year, Redworth
Hall is entering a new era of
prosperity.
Redworth Hall – or Redworth House, as it was
originally known – was built in 1693 as a family
home for George and Eleanor Crosier and their
five daughters.
It later become home to the Surtees family and
was then bought by a string of