海角直播

Secretary of State opens Middlesbrough firm's clean-up extension

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable MP visited the North East to officially open Ward Recycling鈥檚 state of the art facility, which includes a 拢450,000 glass clean-up extension.

The extension is expected to create up to 56 jobs while safeguarding 28, and forms part of a wider 拢3.2m investment in its facility which has been supported by a 拢500,000 grant from Let鈥檚 Grow - a 拢30m Regional Growth Fund programme operated in partnership with Trinity Mirror Group, BE Group and UNW LLP. Ward Recycling has also worked closely with 海角直播 to achieve European recognised DWI and PAS quality accreditations as well as gaining 拢59,000 in R&D tax credits, which has been reinvested to demonstrate its commitment to producing quality and environmentally friendly products.

Mr Cable, who once praised 海角直播 for being 'a brilliant place - one of the best universities in Britain', unveiled an official opening plaque to mark the completion of the 5,000 sq ft extension and joined Ward Recycling鈥檚 Manager Gareth Godwin for a tour of the site, which processes around 1,300 tonnes of recycling each week.

Over the past 18 months the Middlesbrough-based company, which employs 146 people, has seen its overall turnover grow to more than 拢8m due to a rapid increase in demand from foreign markets.

Established in 2002, Ward Recycling operates nationwide Bring Bank collection services, dry recycling sorting and kerbside collections. It first opened its Glass Beneficiation plant in 2012, which produces a material that is free from sharps and is commonly used to filter water for human consumption.

Key to its recent export success has been the guidance of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and its facilitation of overseas deals. By collaborating with the organisation Ward Recycling has been able to gain access to markets looking for a cost effective and cleaner material to replace the silica sand used in swimming pool filtration systems.

Mr Cable said: 'A strong manufacturing sector is at the heart of a sustainable economy, driving growth and enabling British businesses to have the confidence to invest and innovate.

'I was pleased to see Ward Recycling鈥檚 impressive expansion plans. Their state-of-the-art facility will enable them to exploit overseas markets and increase their workforce. Through the Regional Growth Fund, we have supported businesses to make their ambitions a reality, while generating significant private sector investment and creating highly-skilled jobs.'

Gareth Goodwin said: 'The Business Secretary鈥檚 visit has been a great way to mark the latest stage of our ambitious expansion. This investment represents the progress we鈥檝e made as a company and has gone a long way to establishing the area as a hub for the green energy industry.

'The help provided by UKTI, 海角直播 and the Let鈥檚 Grow fund demonstrates the strong support infrastructure in place in the North East of England and the excellent opportunities it has on offer.鈥�

Suhail Aslam, Head of the 海角直播 Manufacturing Centre at 海角直播, added: 鈥淥ur partnership with WRL Glass Media has yielded fantastic results and has helped the company to grow and innovate.

'We are delighted that the Business Secretary was able to visit the Tees Valley to see how businesses like WRL Glass Media are helping the region to prosper.'

Tony Leech, Area Corporate Director North East, from HSBC, said: 'HSBC is proud to support ambitious businesses such as Ward Recycling connect with new opportunities both at home and overseas. I am delighted we have strengthened our relationship with them by providing a 拢2m asset finance facility to help fund their site extension.'

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