100 new jobs in the pipeline

Apr 4 2008 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

UP TO 100 new jobs will be created in the region with the opening of a new cable factory. JDR Cable Systems, which supplies the offshore, sub-sea and energy sectors, plans to open a factory in Hartlepool within a year.

The firm, which is headquartered in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and has operations across the globe, made the announcement as 40 Norwegian firms flocked to the region to seek out opportunities in the oil and gas sector.

Norwegian general manager Oscar Eide, who attended this week’s Rediscover North East England conference at the Gateshead Hilton Hotel, said: “It will be a large investment, and we intend to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing line. The factory will employ between 50 and 100 people initially but there could be more jobs further down the line.”

He also said the factory would have the capacity to manufacture umbilicals and cables of up to 2,000 tonnes per unit.

He said: “We have extensive experience in this game. We set up a factory in Thailand a little over a year ago, we are very pleased with the way it has performed.”

Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond said the news would be a major boost to the town if the plans are given the go-ahead. “Although the proposal is subject to planning permission, this represents a potential substantial jobs boost for Hartlepool. These are likely to be skilled and well paid jobs and the investment into Hartlepool would be significant.”

JDR Cable’s move into Hartlepool could provide a further boost to the North East’s growing ties with the booming Norwegian oil and gas sector since the firm also plans to open a service centre near Bergen.

The centre will be used to serve the company’s global clients such as FMC, Aker Kvaerner and APL. As the price of oil has trebled in recent years – passing the US$100-a-barrel mark – the North East has enjoyed a renaissance in the oil and gas sector.

The boom could create thousands of jobs and generate millions of pounds of investment as oil and gas giants take advantage of the expertise and supply chain available in the North East.