TPT July 2018

I NDUS T RY

Jobs boost as manufacturing plant opens ENGINEERING firm FES, a supplier of fluid transfer systems to oil and gas clients around the world, has invested in a 25,000ft 2 manufacturing facility in Northumberland, UK, initially creating around 20 new jobs in the process. The plant will enable FES to bring several processes that were previously outsourced, such as fabrication and manufacturing, in-house. be outsourced once the new facility is fully operational. “This investment

demonstrates our com- mitment to the North East [of England],” said managing director Rob Anderson. “There is the common assump- tion that manufacturing in Asia-Pacific is much cheaper than in the UK, but this overlooks the potentially expen- sive issues that come with quality and control problems. “We now have a manufacturing facility

The expansive site will provide the firm with the additional height needed to develop new products for oil and gas fields in increasingly challenging environments. It will also serve as a base for apprenticeship schemes and other training programmes aimed at nurturing skills that are being lost to the sector as members of its ageing workforce retire. Although 90 per cent of FES’s business comes from clients outside the UK, the company’s entire supply chain is located within a 25-mile radius of its base in Ashington, Northumberland, and some processes will continue to

FES technical director Ian Latimer (left) and managing director Rob Anderson

the bold move to invest heavily in our long-term future.” FES International – UK Email: fes@fesltd.co.uk Website: www.fesinternational.com

on our doorstep, making it much easier for us to ensure we continue delivering high quality products to the market. Despite the current climate, in which many businesses in our industry are closing or downsizing, we have taken

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JULY 2018