Member Article

£625k investment sees family-owned Morpeth engineering business create new jobs

Family-owned business, Clifton Engineering has doubled the size of its factory in Morpeth and created nine specialist engineering jobs, in a £625k investment programme.

The expansion of the company’s factory, situated on Coopies Lane Industrial Estate, to create 17,000 sq ft of production space is a product of year on year growth.

Clifton Engineering’s business is the supply of precision machined component assemblies for a wide range of sectors including power generation, automotive, oil and gas, food, aerospace and motorsports with a number of blue chip, international companies on its prestigious client list.

Back in 2001 Managing Director Andrew Pearson recognised there was a skill shortage and started to recruit young people to transfer the traditional trades he needed such as milling and turning from his more experienced members of staff, while also ensuring his apprentices learnt about advanced CNC technology.

Its business model is unusual for engineering companies as it doesn’t only manufacture metal parts but also moulds polyurethane. The company has a further conventional machine shop of 4,000 sq ft which complements the technology and equipment in the main factory base.

Turnover is set to grow to £4m in the coming year, primarily from organic, steady growth with contracts from existing customers as well as new national and international business

Andrew Pearson, Managing Director, Clifton Engineering said: “Our new factory was much needed as we had outgrown our existing base on the site and wanted to stay in Morpeth. Arch’s financial support has been invaluable in helping us achieve that ambition.

“It would have very difficult to build the factory and fund all of the new machinery without its assistance. We are also delighted to have been able to create specialist, highly skilled jobs as a result.”

Cllr Dave Ledger, Arch Chair and Deputy Leader of Northumberland County Council said: “Clifton Engineering is a first class business and we are delighted they have been able to double their operation and stay in Morpeth thanks, in part, to our support.

“The skilled engineering jobs in addition to the company’s on-going apprenticeship programme is a tremendous boost to the county’s workforce.”

Clifton Engineering, established in 1993, has a full order book including exporting to USA, Canada and Germany, but continues to look for new opportunities in particular in the oil and gas, medical, aerospace and nuclear industries.

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