GREEN SHOOTS
WASHINGTON & HOUGHTON-LE-SPRING NEWS
Qashqai confirmed as UK ’ s best-selling new car of 2022
Solar specialists have the energy to grow
A
designer and supplier of renewable energy solutions is boosting investment in the Wear region following its best year to date .
Advanced Renewable Power ( AR Power )’ s journey from setting up to becoming a leading light in its field has been just as turbulent as the industry in which it operates .
Founded by husband and wife Maria and Mark Dunville in 2011 , the Washingtonbased firm company was an early adopter of solar energy and battery storage , growing rapidly before the government reduced solar scheme funding in 2015 .
“ It has been a real story of adversity ,” Maria recalls .
“ We started out from a small office above Tup Tup Palace in Newcastle before moving to space in South Tyneside , where we grew to a team of 10 .
“ Everything was going so smoothly but it really pulled the rug from under our feet when the government funding stopped to subsidise businesses switching to renewable energy . We ’ ve really had our peaks and troughs .”
Houghton-le-Spring-based Pacifica Group , the UK home appliance repair specialists , has continued to deliver strong performance in its latest financial year , which has seen revenues grow by 18 per cent , enabling the company to expand its workforce and significantly invest in training .
The continued growth of Pacifica Group has allowed the company to expand its workforce by adding more than 100 new colleagues across its operations and further developing a skilled workforce by investing more than £ 1.5m in an engineer trainee programme .
Growing – Graeme Miller , leader of Sunderland City Council , visited green energy firm Advanced Renewable Power .
Now employing 30 people , AR has become the region ’ s leading designer and supplier of solar PV and battery storage systems , helping businesses across the region and the Scottish Borders reduce their carbon footprint while slashing costs .
The company will also continue to invest in the region over the next year , following its move to a new facility on Parsons Industrial Estate in Washington , supported by the business investment team at Sunderland City Council .
Cllr Graeme Miller , leader of Sunderland City Council , said : “ As a city which is being recognised globally for its efforts to tackle climate change , we couldn ’ t be happier to be home to businesses such as AR Power which are truly blazing a trail in the race to Net Zero .
“ AR Power have shown incredible resilience in the face of adversity to overcome the hurdles they ’ ve faced and have shown the ingenuity required to not only overcome them , but to turn them into opportunities .
“ We ’ re delighted to have supported them on their business journey and look forward to seeing them go from strength-to-strength as they continue to grow .”
Houghton home appliance repair firm ’ s turnover grows to £ 61.4m
In its preliminary results for the 2021 / 22 financial year , Pacifica has reported turnover of £ 61.4m , a significant increase on the previous year ’ s results of £ 52m , generating a significant operating profit .
The Nissan Qashqai is officially the UK ’ s favourite car of 2022 , and the first Britishbuilt model to top the annual sales charts for 24 years .
Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders confirm that the home-grown Qashqai – which was designed in Paddington , engineered in Cranfield and is built in Washington – was the nation ’ s best-selling car of the last 12 months .
A total of 42,704 new Qashqais were driven off dealership forecourts across the UK in 2022 and the figure for December alone stood at an impressive 3,506 , reported the SMMT .
New jobs created as door manufacturer opens factory
Newly-founded door manufacturer Portico Doors aims to create 50 jobs during the next two years as it opens the doors to its new Washington factory .
The North-East ' s largest independent property consultancy , Naylors Gavin Black , supported the fledgling business to secure the 34,000 sq ft mixed factory , warehouse and office property on a 10-year lease .
The site , on Walton Road , Pattinson Industrial Estate , has undergone a significant investment already , with the installation of a paint line , a computer design-aided 5 axis CNC machine , beam saw , edgebander and a PVC production line allowing Portico Doors to manufacture its products entirely on-site , before making their way to retailers .
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