Work has begun on a new high-tech engineering and design facility for Control Techniques to support the creation of around 35 highly skilled engineering jobs in Newtown, Powys.

The company — a division of Emerson Industrial Automation — employs around 600 people at its two facilities in Newtown and is one of the largest employers in mid-Wales.

It designs and manufactures variable-speed drives for a range of commercial and industrial applications. The new 900m2 facility is being developed on land adjacent to the company’s head-quarters on Pool Road.

It will feature product-testing labs to help in the development of new products and technologies, plus a customer showroom and extra office space.

The Welsh Assembly Government’s Business Minister, Edwina Hart, visited Control Techniques to officially mark the start of construction.

She said: “It is very pleasing to have a company like this with head-quarters in Mid-Wales. We are talking about a very successful company with a large number of employees that has international recognition for its work.”

Enrique Viseras, president of Control Techniques, said: “Developing our operation here has always been a priority. The new facility will enable us to grow as a business, both physically and in terms of the technological advancements we can offer to our customers.

"We are grateful to the Welsh Government and Powys County Council for their support throughout the design and planning stages, and we are looking forward to an exciting future here in Newtown.”

Control Techniques, which was founded in 1973, is enjoying a period of sustained growth thanks to recent product launches. It employs more than 2,000 people across 55 global locations.