4 | Tees Business
BUSINESS BITES
TATA REVEALS £ 2M PLANS A steel firm has revealed £ 2m plans to build next generation offshore energy sector products – with its Hartlepool plant identified for the work.
Tata Steel says the move emphasises its commitment to supporting North Sea oil and gas production.
The plans come just days after bosses revealed they would pump £ 1m into its North-East base to continue work on high-strength tubing for construction and machinery and safeguard 270 jobs.
The investment will be made in its Hartlepool base and follows confirmation that Tata had finalised a deal to sell parts of its North-East pipe mills business.
£ 200M PENSION FUND BOOST The Tees Valley mayor and Combined Authority have signed a ground-breaking agreement with the Teesside Pension Fund to work together on projects to support the economic growth of the area.
Under the agreement, the Tees Valley Combined Authority will identify projects which could boost the local economy, and benefit from long-term investment from the Teesside Pension Fund.
By working together, the two organisations will help to implement the Tees Valley’ s Strategic Economic Plan to deliver 25,000 jobs by 2025.
QUORN’ S £ 150M INVESTMENT Meat substitute firm Quorn Foods plans to create 300 jobs and invest £ 150m over the next five years to boost production at its plant in Billingham.
The global meat-free brand, which is headquartered in Stokesley and has capitalised on growing consumer demand for diets containing less meat, said it saw UK sales grow 15 % in the first half of the year.
Global growth rose 19 % over the period, while European sales also grew by 29 %. Business in the US was also up 40 %, while in Asia and Australia sales climbed 35 %.
CHEMOXY SOLD TO FRENCH FIRM Tees chemicals manufacturer Chemoxy International has been acquired by French-based trade buyer Novacap SAS for an undisclosed sum.
The firm, which has sites in Middlesbrough and Billingham, utilises advanced manufacturing techniques to create low-toxicity products for uses as wide-ranging as environmentally friendly plants, industrial coatings and cleaning products.
Chemoxy was acquired from Dow Chemicals in 2011 by current CEO Ian Stark and COO Martyn Bainbridge.
Wilton Engineering boss Bill Scott says Teesside is perfectly positioned to supply the offshore wind sector.
Winds of change can transform Teesside industry
Leading Tees businessman Bill Scott, whose Wilton Engineering firm recently won an £ 11m contract relating to the UK’ s largest offshore wind project, believes the renewable energy sector could be a“ game-changer” for Teesside industry.
Having already won the contract to deliver 20 transition pieces – each weighing 400 tonnes – for Germany-based Steelwind to be used as part of the Hornsea One wind project, Scott says his Port Clarencebased company is“ well positioned” for further contract wins from the fastgrowing industry in the near future.
And Scott – who has been named Teesside’ s Most Inspiring Businessman by his peers( see page 20) – says further deals would be“ transformational” for Teesside, creating new opportunities and hundreds of jobs for local firms.
A 100m-long, state-of-the-art preparation and coating facility is currently being built on the Wilton Engineering site, close to the Transporter Bridge, that will allow the firm to provide a dedicated facility for handling the giant structures required for offshore wind projects.
“ By investing in the new facility, we are positioning ourselves for work we plan to win in the near future,” said Scott.
The major breakthrough into the offshore
“ Everyone is looking for a sustainable business landscape for Teesside – and that’ s exactly what this is.”
wind sector has enabled Wilton to bounce back after a torrid few years following the collapse of the oil and gas sector.
“ Just about everyone in the oil and gas sector was in survival mode,” said Scott.“ It could have been disastrous for us – the entire business could have gone.
“ I pressed the survival button and we had to let a number of people go but, after much arduous work, we’ ve morphed across into offshore wind and we’ re starting to bring back many of those who we had to let go.”
With huge windfarms being built about 120 miles off the Teesside coast, Scott says:“ Teesside is perfectly positioned to supply the offshore wind sector. It is a huge hub for manufacturing and all aspects of engineering. The wealth of knowledge in the area is incredible.
“ Everyone is looking for a sustainable business landscape for Teesside – and that’ s exactly what this is.
“ Barring materials not manufactured in the UK, every single order we’ ve placed – amounting to millions of pounds- has gone to Teesside companies. What I’ m trying to do is create a supply chain on Teesside specifically for the wind farm industry.
“ We’ re looking to try to place as much work as we possibly can to firms on Teesside and the wider North-East.”