NEWS
Birthday – Hitachi ’ s site was opened by David Cameron in 2015 .
HITACHI RAIL CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF TRAIN BUILDING IN NEWTON AYCLIFFE
September marked the fifth anniversary
of Hitachi Rail officially opening its state-of-the-art train manufacturing factory in Newton Aycliffe . From the empty shell that was opened by then Prime Minister David Cameron , the team has built 192 trains over the last five years that are now in service .
The trains produced include the UK ’ s new intercity train of choice , which have transformed travel on the Great Western and East Coasts , as well as the award-winning Class 385 regional trains for Scotland , recognised as the most reliable new trains in the UK .
When the factory opened , Hitachi Rail ’ s presence in the UK was minimal . Now , the company has a network of train maintenance centres that span England , Scotland and Wales and employs around 3,000 people , 700 of which are based on Aycliffe Business Park .
As a result of the factory ’ s success , the initial investment of £ 82m has now been increased to over £ 110m . The most recent £ 8.5m upgrade is seeing the creation of a brand new facility to weld and paint train carriages – the first of its type in the Britain for a generation – which will increase the sophistication and capability of manufacturing at the site .
Hitachi Rail has also localised its supply chain in the UK , with whom it has spent £ 1.8bn since 2013 , including over 130 separate North East suppliers .
In addition to the positive economic impact on the region , Hitachi ’ s presence has been a major boost to education in the local area . Over 50 apprentices have completed their training at the factory and the partnership with the South Durham University Technical College , which Hitachi co-founded , has gone from strength to strength .
As it enters its sixth year , Hitachi ’ s focus is on completing orders for new intercity trains for East Coast Trains ( five trains ), East Midlands Railway ( 33 ) and Avanti West Coast ( 23 ).
Ross Nagle , COO Rolling Stock UK , said : “ From a standing start , this is a fantastic achievement and is thanks to the resilience and flexibility of the entire Rolling Stock team , who have adapted to new challenges – never more so than the last six months .”
PUBLISHING HOUSE PLANS EXPANSION
Well established Durham
publishing house , Riney
Publishing , plans to explore new markets thanks to funding support from the North East Business Support Fund from NBSL .
Owner Sue Riney-Smith has had a successful company for many years , but recognised the time was ripe to expand awareness and develop new markets .
Sue approached NBSL and was delighted to qualify for support from the North East Business Support Fund which allowed her to engage a professional to meet her aims .
Plans included the identification of potential new markets for Riney Publishing to explore and build their brand ’ s reputation in existing markets .
With plans now being implemented , Riney ’ s investment has already paid off with the business winning two new contracts to create high end magazines for leading North-East hotels .
“ Without the support of NBSL I wouldn ’ t have been able to afford to look at new markets or indeed consider growing my business in existing markets ,” said Sue .
Jonathan Barnes , funding advisor for NBSL , added : “ We understand some firms are put off by complex application processes , which is why we work with businesses to ensure it is as simple and as straight-forward as possible .
“ We ’ ve been delighted to hear that this investment has provided a sustainable future for the business .”
For more information on the range of business support programmes available from NBSL , go to www . nbsl . org . uk .
BUSINESS BRIEFS
ORCA IN THE ZONE A County Durham industrial cleaning contractor has its sights set on national expansion after growth fuelled by Durham Business Opportunities Programme ( DBOP ) Incubator Zone EMCON exhibition .
Ferryhill-based Orca Cleaning Services is one of over 50 companies from across County Durham who have taken part in the Incubator Zone since its inception in 2017 .
Orca has booked a larger exhibition space at the next EMCON show , which is now scheduled for March 2021 .
NEW ROLES AT TEKMAR Tekmar Energy , part of the Tekmar Group , has appointed Marc Bell as director of operations and Leanne Wilkinson as finance director .
Marc is an industry professional with over 20 years ’ technical and operational management experience who previously held positions as director of operations with JDR Cables , head of offshore operations with Siemens Gamesa and global operations manager with Technip .
Leanne is a CIMA-qualified accountant with over 20 years ’ experience as a senior finance professional and business leader .
INCUBATOR BOOST Business Durham is set to help a further five entrepreneurs launch their businesses with its successful six-month accelerator programme .
Durham City Incubator ( DCI ) is designed to help new County Durham companies flourish and has so far supported 22 entrepreneurs , in the past three cohorts , to launch their businesses and achieve national recognition and investment funding .
The five Durham based companies included in the latest cohort are Learneast Language , Eventurstar , GRAPE Software , Rural Business Network EdTech ’ s selflearning platform , Education Equation .
AYCLIFFE BUSINESS We ’ re already working on the 48th issue of Aycliffe Business , due out early December and now with an expanded circulation to parts of Darlington , Shildon and Bishop Auckland .
To get involved , call Sharon Hutchinson on 07940 870310 or email sharon @ aycliffetoday . co . uk .
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 5