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North East Process Industry leaders and MPs address economic growth issues

Eighteen top process industry leaders from the North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) yesterday met with twelve North East Members of Parliament from across the whole region.

The meeting at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster discussed how they might work together to sustain and grow the region’s largest industrial sector - the process industries.

This sector impacts on all areas of the region with over 500 chemical, polymer, rubber, speciality materials, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies based throughout Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham and Teesside. Each sub-region has over 100 companies, small, medium and large working in this sector.

Together these companies create over £10 billion of the region’s GDP which represents about a third of the whole regional economy. Over 200,000 jobs in the region are impacted by the supply chain of this sector.

Bob Coxon, Chairman of NEPIC commented on the meeting; “Having so many of our Parliamentary colleagues debating the future of our industry with us, how Government policy impacts upon the sustainability of our businesses and how we impact on the social and economic issues within the region and nationally is of crucial importance.

“Only by working together in areas such as skills, energy, climate change and investment conditions will we be able to ensure the success of our industry going forward. The greater the level of understanding between us, the more likely we are together to bring more prosperity to the region.”

Ian Williams, Director of Business and Industry at One NorthEast who also attended the meeting, said: “NEPIC is a very proactive organisation, industry led, and consequently knowledgeable about the needs of its sector. Engagement with top industrialists from companies in the region enables it to bring forward powerful messages for those of us involved in economic development.” This meeting was a valuable platform to debate the issues which will impact on the process industries sector as it moves forward.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .