MANUFACTURER Tanfield is looking to grow once again after a harrowing few years which saw it sell off its electric vehicles business a month ago.

The Washington-based company is now concentrating on its cherry picker business after selling Smith Electric Vehicles to its associated American firm Smith Electric Vehicles US Corporation – SEVUS – for £9.4m.

Almost 200 UK staff shifted from Tanfield to Smith Electric Vehicles Europe Ltd, the new UK subsidiary of SEVUS, in which Tanfield retains a 49% stake.

Around 60 of these staff are based in the North East, on its Washington and the Team Valley sites. Smith Europe leases factory floor space from Tanfield at the same site where the aerial platforms are built.

It is understood that a deal to supply commercial electric vehicles to the Hong Kong government could be in the offing in the near future.

Tanfield’s Washington-based business has now consolidated all its powered access platform interests under the Snorkel brand and said the move had been well received by customers.

“As predicted, the market for aerial work platforms stabilised in the second half of 2010, after a very difficult and prolonged period of recession,” the company said in a trading update, issued ahead of its annual results for the year to the end of December.