Sedgefield MP Paul Howell with Gestamp ’ s Aycliffe plant director Jonathan Phillips .
PICTURES BY CHRIS BOOTH
GESTAMP OF APPROVAL
Sedgefield MP impressed after visiting Aycliffe ’ s biggest employer
BY MARTIN WALKER
A
local MP has praised the work of a major local employer after visiting their huge site in Newton Aycliffe .
Sedgefield MP Paul Howell was impressed by the state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities at Gestamp Tallent on Aycliffe Business Park .
The original company , formed in 1948 by Roy Tallent , manufactured fancy goods and traded under the name of Roy Tallent ( Plating ) in one of the original Royal Ordnance Factories built for the Second World War .
In 1955 the Colston Family took ownership and its product range extended to domestic appliances , paraffin heaters , washing machines , cooker hobs , microwaves and gas fire cases .
Gestamp Tallent now works with many of the leading Western European vehicle manufacturers , with over 60 per cent of components manufactured in Aycliffe exported .
The car parts manufacturer , which makes chassis components for the likes of Nissan , Jaguar Land Rover , Volvo and Ford , has over 100 plants across the globe , with five in the UK – Cannock and West Midlands in the Midlands area , Llanelli in Wales and Washington – as well as its biggest UK site in Newton Aycliffe .
Gestamp recently invested in the Tallent Academy , a 4,300 sq ft facility which sits adjacent to its huge factory . The new facility will include a wellbeing space for staff and focus on upskilling the current workforce as well future apprentices .
Paul Howell said : “ It was great to meet with Gestamp ’ s leadership and understand their business better .
“ They have established positions supplying many brands throughout the world , which helps manage risks as different companies experience different problems with Covid , dependent on both where they and their customers are based .
“ It ’ s helpful for me to represent to government what businesses like them need to thrive and grow .”
Gestamp ’ s Aycliffe plant director Jonathan Phillips said : “ We were delighted to welcome our MP into our factory and show him not just the type of work we ’ re doing , but also the investments we ’ re making in new technology and equipment to future-proof the business . “ We ’ ve been long-standing employers for Newton Aycliffe and surrounding areas for many years and we ’ re working hard to maintain our growth through innovative new product lines as we adapt to new technology , so it was a great opportunity to show Paul what we ’ re doing to achieve that .”
Gestamp is a multinational specialising in the design , development and manufacture of highly engineered metal components for top vehicle manufacturers .
It develops products with an innovative design to produce lighter and safer vehicles , including EVs , which offer improved energy consumption and a reduced environmental impact . Its products cover the areas of bodyin-white , chassis and mechanisms .
The company is present in 24 countries with more than 100 manufacturing plants , 13 R & D centres and a workforce of more than 40,000 employees worldwide . Its turnover was € 7.456m in 2020 .
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