70 new jobs for Telford

POWER tool giant Makita is bucking the economic trend despite the recession, leading the way to bring manufacturing back to the UK.

It has announced the transfer of production of new and existing power tools and gardening products from Japan and China to Telford from 2010 onwards.

And the Hortonwood site is aiming to produce between 800,000 and one million tools between April and March next year, with the transfer and new tools representing about 300,000 of these.

The tools will enhance the current range produced by the manufacturer and includes electrically-powered circular saws, jigsaws, planers, rotary SDS hammer drills, compound mitre saws, as well as battery-powered planers, grinders and lawnmowers.

Makita Manufacturing Europe Ltd also produces many of its own components in house and the introduction of the new products will allow this area to rapidly progress, bosses say.

The move will create scores of jobs both in the engineering department and on assembly lines.

Paul Harris, operations director at the Hortonwood plant, said the transfer of production was exciting news for the local workforce and not only secured existing jobs but also created great opportunities in the field of electrical/mechanical engineering as well as assembly and logistics functions.

"As an engineering company, this expansion is not only a key in the growth of the local economy, but leading the way to bring manufacturing back to the UK as a strong base. It is refreshing that the employment requirements are now changing, where experienced maintenance and production engineers can come to the fore.

"Coming from a machine-tool background myself and having seen engineering decimated, this is an opportunity for machine-tool fitters to embark on a new career in manufacturing".

During 2009, Wellington-based McPhillips Civil Engineering completed a £1.3 million factory extension for the company at the Telford plant and it also celebrated the production of 20 million tools since opening in 1991.