Germany’s ZF (www.zf.com) is expanding production at its UK facility in County Durham to address the growing demand for advanced camera systems that support ‘automated driving’.

It is investing around £30 million over the next two years in new production lines for its next-generation camera technologies and in recruiting more engineers, production specialists and apprentices.

Factory director Robin Finley said: “ZF develops and manufactures technologies that are helping to reduce emissions and accidents.

"In pursuit of this goal, the company combines precision engineering with digital technology to help vehicles to see, think and act — sensing their environment, processing the data and responding accordingly. Advanced camera technology is a major contributor to active safety systems that help to enhance road safety.”

ZF offers a full portfolio of sensors for vehicles to detect their surroundings, including radar, LIDAR and cameras. Its Peterlee plant currently produces 33,000 safety cameras per week.

In 2019, the factory will start producing its next-generation S-Cam 4 incorporating Mobileye’s EyeQ4 technology, which has powerful object recognition capabilities.

There are currently around 880 employees, but this figure should grow to around 950 by the end of 2018.

Mr Finley added: “ZF is investing in the development of local talent at Peterlee, expanding its apprentice scheme and working with local education organisations to support the changing training needs of our workforce”.