Around 170 jobs will be created with the multi-million pound expansion of a County Durham car part manufacturing site.
TRW Systems is increasing production at its Peterlee site to meet a growth in orders for sensors which activate airbags and seatbelts. It will expand its workforce this year as it invests millions of pounds, including a £1.5m grant from regional development agency One NorthEast, in amalgamating three factories into one at Peterlee. It said the package of investments would also safeguard the jobs of the existing 430 staff at the US giant's Peterlee and Sunderland plants.
The North-East operations have grown strongly since they were opened 14 years ago with just 40 staff to service the Toyota plant in Derby. Since then, it has built up a customer base which includes Landrover, Ferrari, Mercedes and Jaguar and has seen millions of pounds of investment. Bosses have previously said the sites could eventually employ up to 1,000 staff.
Plant manager Phil Pearce says he is confident about the future of the site.
"TRW's success is based on the pillars of cost, quality and delivery and is down to the fantastic teamwork of our workforce," he says.
"In 2006 we will be mainly consolidating the current expansion and keeping down the cost and driving up the quality. If you have the right quality, the right delivery and the right cost base then the sky is the limit."
The sites have cut back the workforce by 50 administrative and management jobs over the last four years to keep costs down. The company also pays tribute to Sunderland City Council, County Durham Development Company and One NorthEast for helping with advice and support for the expansion and to its accountant, UNW, for helping to secure the money.
Bob Hubery, TRW director of operations, says: "It is rewarding that months of working with UNW and One NorthEast has come to such a positive conclusion for manufacturing in the region.
"I'm delighted that the future employment of all our Sunderland and Peterlee workforces is assured and that we will be welcoming more than 170 new employees over the coming year to increase production from Peterlee in the new electronics factory."
TRW's parent company, TRW Automotive, is a $12bn Michigan-based group with 60,000 staff based at 200 facilities in 24 countries.
