Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 41 | Page 5

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 5 /NEWS BUSINESS BRIEFS TEKMAR SIGNS HORNSEA TWO DEAL Tekmar Energy has signed a multi- million pound contract with the world’s largest offshore wind developer to provide cable protection systems. The Aycliffe-based company, part of the Tekmar group, will provide Dutch firm Ørsted with its patented cable systems for Hornsea Two in the North Sea which, when constructed, will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm. Tekmar Energy, which employs 115 people, will utilise its state-of-the- art manufacturing facility on Aycliffe Business Park to complete the contract. County Durham welcomes the home-coming Azuma N ew high-speed trains built in the county came home recently when an Azuma stopped at Durham for the first time. London North Eastern Railway’s (LNER) new fleet, which employs Japanese bullet train technology, was built by Hitachi’s UK manufacturing team at the company’s 700-staff site at Newton Aycliffe. Hitachi relied heavily on the local supply chain for the construction of the Azumas with 70% of the parts fitted for the trains coming from within a 40-mile radius. The Azumas are being rolled out across the UK over several months having entered service in May. And August 1 marked the first voyages of the trains through the county in which they were built. At 8.15pm, an Azuma stopped at Durham station for the first time. Waiting to greet the train were representatives of Durham County Council, Hitachi and LNER station staff. Cllr Joy Allen, the council’s Cabinet member for transformation, culture and tourism, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome the Azuma home to County Durham. “It’s a source of immense pride that this wonderful feat of engineering has been proudly pieced together here by the highly skilled team at Hitachi and that 70% of the parts they used came from within a 40 mile radius. “The story of how these trains were built is proof that County Durham really is Powered by People. “We look forward to this great work continuing with Hitachi’s new contract and the boost this will bring to our economy by supporting so many jobs.” Terry Collins, the council’s chief executive, added: “The fact we now have high-speed trains serving the county will be massively beneficial in a number of ways. TRICOGEN PLOTS EXPANSION A long-established manufacturer of hair and beauty care products is eyeing up expansion with the upgrade of its telecommunications system. “By strengthening our existing transport links, including by reducing journey times to London and Edinburgh, the new trains will be vital in attracting and retaining top class employers and supporting our residents’ travel requirements. “The Azumas will also bring many more visitors to our county to enjoy attractions like the World Heritage Site Cathedral and Castle - one of the most admired views on the rail network - and events such as Lumiere. “We look forward to the new trains becoming a regular sight at Durham station.” Ross Nagle, chief operating officer for manufacturing at Hitachi Rail said: “It’s fantastic to see the new intercity Azuma trains in passenger service on the East Coast Mainline travelling through our region. “They are going to transform the passenger experience for thousands of people through more seats, more journeys and better reliability. “We are incredibly proud to be building these state-of-the-art trains in County Durham where we have a fantastic local workforce and an ever-growing network of regional suppliers.” The arrival of Azuma to County Durham comes just after Hitachi won the contract to build trains for the East Midlands Railway. A total of 165 carriages will be constructed at the Aycliffe Business Park facility. Newton Aycliffe-based Tricogen Laboratories has invested in the new system to support its staff and connectivity between its site in the town and expansion into Sweden. Abellio UK, recently awarded the new eight-year East Midlands Railway (EMR) franchise by the Department for Transport, has confirmed that it has now awarded a £400m contract to Hitachi Rail to build a pioneering new fleet of intercity trains. The new state of the art intercity trains will start operating in 2022 and will serve the main cities and towns on the Midland Main Line including Sheffield, Chesterfield, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Lincoln as well as Kettering and London St Pancras. This year’s EMCON event is being held on Thursday, October 10, at the Xcel Centre on Aycliffe Business Park. Odyssey, a Tees Valley-based telecommunications and technology company, has worked with Tricogen for more than 10 years and installed the hosted telephony system. The installation will support Tricogen’s future expansion as it aims to launch further sites and the hosted system will amalgamate and connect all current and new locations’ telecommunications and networks together. HEATHER MILLS TO HEADLINE EMCON High-profile entrepreneur and former model Heather Mills has been revealed as the keynote speaker for this year’s EMCN event on Aycliffe Business Park. Visionary businesswoman Ms Mills has expanded her international award- winning plant based vegan company VBites by opening two sites in the North East, which increases the presence to a total of four sites across the UK. AYCLIFFE TODAY BUSINESS We’re now working on the 42nd issue of Aycliffe Today Business – the magazine for Aycliffe Business Park. To get involved email [email protected]