Tees Valley Engineering Partnership
By Malcolm Potter, Manager Of The Tees Valley Engineering Partnership
The last year has been eventful on Teesside, with contract wins, job losses and new project developments contributing to a prosperous economic climate for engineering.
In recent months, we have seen multi-million pound contracts and investment packages awarded to local firms which will now enjoy a sustainable future here in the Tees Valley.
Other firms are continuing to expand their services and venture into new areas of the engineering market.
This ability to proactively tackle changes in the market stands the region in good stead when it comes to competing with an influx of international competitors.
Larger firms like Centrica are also beginning to realise Tees Valley’s value and invest in projects like the clean coal power station, which will enhance our status as an area of world-class engineering capability.
Expansion plans and developments such as these have helped to create new jobs and security for many of our highly skilled engineers. Earlier this month, SBV Fabrications recruited almost 50 of the 95 engineers laid off by machinery manufacturer, HQ Engineering, which goes to show how companies can work together to support the region’s engineering sector.
Next month, the Tees Valley Engineering Partnership is hosting a special breakfast event to enhance this level of collaboration. Project Preview 2007, sponsored by Balfour Beatty Management, will bring together representatives from some of the region’s most significant engineering organisations, to collectively consider how their forthcoming projects will benefit the region.
Later this year we also plan to host a nuclear summit, in partnership with NOF Energy, which will identify current and future opportunities in this sector and examine how our current engineering capabilities measure up.
TVEP’s role is to design and implement a strategy that will ensure the sustainability of the region’s engineering sector in the medium and longer-term.
We invite all Tees Valley engineering companies as well as individuals or organisations who feel they have an interest in the engineering sector, to make a contribution to this ongoing process. It is these particular groups that have the greatest vested interest in our success.
* Anyone wishing to join us can contact Seline Shaw on 01740 665115 or visit www.tvep.co.uk for more information.
(c) 2007 Evening Gazette – Middlesbrough. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.