A new body aimed at promoting and supporting the growth of the region’s automotive industry has officially opened for business.

The North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) is an industry-led organisation that brings together major companies including Nissan, Nifco, Komatsu, Sevcon and Hyperdrive.

The aim of the network is to: discuss strategic leadership to grow the industry; attract new companies and jobs to the region; and support business excellence and best practice.

It will also provide benchmarking, help companies to boost efficiency and reduce costs, and work to increase the region’s competitiveness. Prior to its launch, the NEAA carried out the first in-depth research into the importance of the automotive sector to the region.

It found that the sector generates £7 billion in sales for the North East; also that it is responsible for £5.1 billion of exports and creates a £2.6 billion trade surplus annually. The alliance, which is offering membership to businesses ranging from multinationals to sole traders, will also be working to address the skills gap.

Paul Butler (pictured right), the NEAA’s chief executive, said: “In February last year, we had a meeting with key North East automotive businesses and invited the North West Automotive Alliance to talk to us.

"That meeting spurned an appetite within the sector to create our own cluster. Many regions across the EU are organised in such a way, and a whole range of businesses and organisations have already signed up to the cluster.”

NEAA members will benefit from the promotion of the North East automotive sector’s capabilities at regional, national and international levels, as well as from the network’s ability to connect the supply chain to business opportunities. They will also have access to a comprehensive Web site with a dedicated members’ area to share knowledge, information and collaborative projects.