Builder drives on with engine maker project

A building contractor has revved up its order book with a heavy-duty engine maker factory expansion.

GMI Construction Group has broken ground on a 282,000sq ft warehouse and distribution base at Cummins’ Darlington plant.

Bosses say the site will “enhance operations, improve efficiency and support future growth”.

Based on Darlington’s Ingenium Parc, they add it will feature internal automated storage, office space and a service yard including heavy-goods vehicle circulation areas, dock levellers and parking.

Cummins, which has operated in Darlington since the mid-1960s and employs about 1700 staff locally, is known for making engines used in buses and agricultural vehicles.

Dominic Dickinson, regional director for the North East at GMI Construction Group, which operates from an office in Stockton-on-Tees, said: “This marks an important milestone.

“It is a significant industrial development, which draws on our extensive experience in delivering complex manufacturing schemes across the North East.

“We are proud to be delivering a high-quality facility that will support Cummins’ future growth in Darlington.”

Steve Morley, Cummins’ plant manager, added: “Breaking ground marks an exciting next chapter for our Darlington campus and our long-term investment in the region.

“Darlington has been central to Cummins’ UK presence for 60 years, and this investment reflects our continued commitment to the area, our employees and the wider supply chain.”

GMI Construction Group has further offices in Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.

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