Manufacturing


The Tees Valley has a long and successful history of being a global player in terms of manufacturing output, helping us to keenly understand your manufacturing needs.  A recent survey of the Tees Valley manufacturing sector found that the majority were positive about the future of their business – with many planning to expand – and were highly satisfied with the availability and quality of staff, premises and key infrastructure.

Skilled and Experienced Workers

The Tees Valley has an abundance of skilled, committed and readily-available labour on its doorstep.  The working age population in Tees Valley is current 405,000 to and it is expected to grow, In addition up to 1.4m people of working age live within 30 miles of Tees Valley centers. 

Our five local colleges and two universities currently have 125,000 and 24,000 students enrolled on courses, and with a higher than average proportion of young people entering the workplace with NVQ level 2 and trade apprenticeships the future workforce in assured.

The Tees Valley has excellent specialised training provision, designed to match the needs of the manufacturing industry, and producing a skilled and experienced workforce Tees Valley Colleges offer courses in the likes of Manufacturing, Welding & Fabrication, Instrumentation, Plant & Processing and many more, while specialist providers, such as NETA and TTE, provide bespoke training to the industry and offer a wide range of Manufacturing and Engineering apprenticeships. There are over 4,000 FE and 1,500 HE enrolments in the sector in the Tees Valley every year.  In addition up to 1.4m people of working age live within 30 miles of Tees Valley centers and with 12% already working in manufacturing industries, well above the national average manufacturing companies will find a plentiful supply of both skilled and experienced workers in the Tees Valley.

Big Names Already Here

The Tees Valley has a long and successful history of manufacturing excellence, housing the likes of Corus, Johnson Matthey, Cleveland Bridge, Cummins engineering, Kerry Foods, Caterpillar, Armstrong Flooring (Manufacturers of Rhino Flooring).

Serviced Sites

The Tees Valley is home to a number of established light and heavy industrial manufacturing sites, within which there are serviced sites with the infrastructure and supply chain already in place to support engineering, fabrication, process and general manufacturing businesses.

Reliable & Cost Effective Power Supply

The Tees Valley can offer manufacturers a variety of energy packages.   Several of the major manufacturing sites in the area have on site power with excess capacity facilitating privately-negotiated deals.  Onsite power generation with grid back up and readily available steam can provide considerable capital and revenue savings for manufacturing companies with this level of power requirement.

Flexible and Reliable Water Supply

Northumbrian Water supplies the Tees Valley and has never imposed water restrictions on industry and does not expect to have to.   Through Northumbrian Water, manufacturers have access to the UK's premier water supply, supported by the huge Kielder Water reservoir.   In addition Northumbrian Water has one of the lowest charges in the UK.

Financial Support and Assistance

Much of the Tees valley is eligible for Grant support and Tees Valley Regeneration can steer you through the grants and assistance available to companies relocating to the Tees Valley.  We have helped companies expanding and relocating in the Tees Valley to create and safeguard 2,700 jobs and attract £570 million investment, many of which attracted significant grant support.

Tees Valley Regeneration can advise you on recruitment, skills availability and training support and can identify property and site solutions that suit your business needs.  We have excellent links with both public and private organisations in the area and can provide introductions to people who provide the specialist help you need.  We can help you build your business case and can show you exactly why Tees Valley is the ideal location for your business.

Tees Valley Regeneration are well connected to the network of specialist organisations in both the public and private sector, that can support your business in the Tees Valley.  We can introduce you to organisations who can help you improve your productivity and carbon footprint, organisations to provide training and workforce development, and industry and business-led forums who provide excellent opportunities for networking.

To find out more about what makes Tees Valley the right location for the chemicals industry visit our business relocation section which gives further information about the people, logistics, education and training and quality of life in the Tees Valley.