Ashington-based Flexible Engineered Solutions (FES) (
www.fesinternational.com), a supplier of fluid transfer systems to oil and gas companies, is creating 20 jobs after opening a new 25,000ft
2 manufacturing facility, which will also be used as a training base.
This will enable the company to carry out fabrication and manufacturing in-house, and to develop new products for oil and gas fields in increasingly challenging environments.
Managing director Rob Anderson said: “This investment demonstrates our commitment to the North East. There is a common assumption that manufacturing in Asia-Pacific is much cheaper than in the UK — but this overlooks the potential cost of quality and control problems.
“We now have a manufacturing facility on our doorstep, making it much easier for us to ensure that we continue delivering high-quality products to the market.
“FES, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, sees 90% of its business come from clients outside the UK, including oil and gas projects in Ghana, Indonesia and China.
“Despite the current climate, in which many businesses in our industry are closing or down-sizing, we have taken the bold move to invest heavily in our long-term future.”