FOUR Teesside firms are going for growth after winning a clutch of new orders.
Eco Environments is looking to recruit around 20 staff at its Darlington office after clinching a contract with international solar power maker Sharp.
Eco, which designs and installs solar panels, wind turbines and heat pumps, has already taken on two workers at its Teesside operation to share the workload with director David Hunt.
Now the company, which was recently granted the prestigious Value Added Reseller (VAR) status by Scottish wind energy firm Proven Energy, is hoping to expand by cashing in on a green energy boom.
Mr Hunt said: “The North-east as a whole is lagging behind the rest of the UK. Only about 1.7% of solar panels installed nationally have been installed in the North-east.
“But there are signs that is beginning to change. Recently I’ve met many people who are very proactive in green energy.”
Meanwhile, Darlington IT firm Webworks Internet is seeking to grow its 40-strong workforce by 16 following a series of contract wins.
Launched in 2003, the company provides web design and technical services to small businesses and currently hosts more than 15,000 websites.
Two engineering firms in Newton Aycliffe are also looking to expand after winning work on the £1.26bn Square Kilometre Array scheme, which will deliver the biggest radio telescope in history.
DPE Automotive and Durham Precision Engineering are both involved in the seven-year project, which will see 3,000, 15 metre-wide dishes spread over thousands of kilometres to simulate a giant radio telescope.
Geoff Mason, new business development manager at Durham Precision Engineering, said the work could be worth “millions of pounds” to the company.
He said: “It’s early days, we are still at the development stage. The project will secure a number of jobs and could create jobs later down the line.”
The company currently employs around 38 staff at its Newton Aycliffe site.
Meanwhile, DPE Automotive has 120 staff spread over two operations at Newton Aycliffe and Birmingham.
