Member Article

Shepherd's pledge to use local

The company that has won the prestigious contract to build a major new factory in the region has pledged to feed the local economy during its construction.

York-based Shepherd Construction, which has a main office in Darlington, was unveiled as the lead contractor to build Hitachi Rail Europe’s £82m train-making facility on Aycliffe Business Park in Newton Aycliffe.

During a high-profile construction ceremony, attended by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin last week, Shepherd Group’s chief executive, Mark Perkins, said the project is “extraordinarily exciting”.

Perkins said its Darlington team, which recently completed a major wind turbine testing facility for the National Renewable Energy Centre (NAREC) in Blyth, will execute the Hitachi development.

“We have an expertise in delivering high-profile, critical projects, and this one is equally challenging, equally critical to the North East and equally critical to UK manufacturing,” said Perkins.

“We will not be coming in from somewhere else in the UK, delivering the project and then disappearing off back to London or anywhere else.

“We’re a longstanding part of the North East business community and part of the economic structure of this area.

“So the team that will exercise this project will be from our North East centre in Darlington, the same team that successfully executed the NAREC project in Blyth, and as part of our commitment to that way of working, the supply chain will be drawn as much as we can from the local community.

“During the NAREC project we achieved 90% employment from within a 50-mile radius of Blyth - it’s an important facet of the way we do our business and the commitment we’ve made not only to Hitachi, but to the North East.”

Perkins also revealed a number of interesting facts during his speech.

He said during the 21-month construction, Shepherd will:

• Move enough earth to move 150 Olympic-sized swimming pools
• Introduce enough concrete to refill six of those swimming pools
• Use 2,000 tonnes of steel
• Use 20km of pipe work and 100km of cable
• Install 8.5km of rail track for the rolling stock,

“We have the job of knitting that all together to make a cohesive, technical facility for Hitachi,” added Perkins.

“The factory itself will cover an overall area equivalent to six football pitches, so you can get the scale we’re talking about - it’s a very exciting project for us.

“In a sector that continues to re-establish and grow the credentials of the UK PLC excellence for design, technology and advanced manufacturing.

“It’s an extraordinarily exciting project for us. We think it’s important for the North East, its economy and employment.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .