Member Article

Grant accelerates job opportunities

A Tees Valley brake pad manufacturer is creating 68 new jobs thanks to a funding boost. TMD Friction UK Ltd secured a £249,000 grant from One NorthEast to bolster its £2m project. The investment will help expand production capability and increase the output of the Hartlepool factory from 20 million to 25 million brake pads every year.

TMD Friction UK Ltd is part of TMD Friction Cayman Ltd, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of brake friction materials, with a head office in Germany. Established in 1984, TMD recently announced the opening of a new site in Romania in April this year. The firm develops, produces and markets disc brake pads for passenger cars. The range includes state of the art products used in motor racing.

The Hartlepool-based company is one of the town’s largest employers and this development will increase jobs from 296 to 364 over the next 12 months.

Gerard Doyle, TMD Friction Managing Director UK, said: “This investment has come at a vital stage in our development as it will really help to underpin Hartlepool’s position as an innovative plant, leading the way within the group. “Already as a result of our growth, we are currently working alongside our parent company to potentially bring recently relocated work into the Hartlepool plant rather than going overseas.”

Ian Williams, Director of Business and Industry at One NorthEast, said: “TMD is a world leader in brake pad manufacturing and I am extremely pleased that One NorthEast can offer support to a firm of this calibre. It is really important to help keep this type of manufacturer in the region, and indeed the UK. It is particularly encouraging to see new manufacturing job opportunities being created by this investment. We wish them every success in their future development.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .