Member Article

Gas meter deal means jobs boost for region

Landis+Gyr, manufacturer of smart meters for the gas industry, is set to double its workforce – bringing hundreds of new jobs to the region.

The firm, which has a plant in Stockport employing 300 staff, recently won a £600m contract to supply smart meters in the UK - the biggest single order for the devices.

It will be recruiting for a variety of roles, including R&D, electrical and manufacturing engineers, as well as manufacturing, technical and logistical positions.

The new jobs will be split between its two existing locations in Stockport and Peterborough.

Currently the Stockport plant produces around 20,000 advanced gas meters per week and the company plans to significantly expand its operations.

Nationwide, there are plans to install 53 million meters by the end of the decade in a 12 billion-pound program.

Landis+Gyr Chief Executive Officer Andreas Umbach said: “This is the largest deal of its kind worldwide and sets a new industry standard for working in partnership.

“It allows us to achieve significant economies of scale in meter production, to expand our U.K. operations and to further establish the U.K. as a global center of smart energy.”

Energy Minister Baroness Verma said: “It’s great to see British Gas moving up a gear with their plans to get more smart meters into homes and business.

Consumers are set to significantly benefit from the installation of this exciting new technology – giving accurate information on their energy usage and an end to estimated billing, to help them better manage energy consumption.

With an extra 500 smart energy experts to be recruited, this shows that smart meters will support investment and jobs up and down the country, offering substantial benefits to the UK economy. This is good news all round.“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .