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Tyneside’s Pearson Engineering hosts Defence Secretary visit

The Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon MP, paid a visit to Tyneside engineering firm Pearson Engineering Ltd (PEL) to see the company’s latest life-saving products.

As well as visiting Cooks Defence Systems Limited to mark the Durham firm’s £70m MoD contract win, the Secretary managed to see Pearson’s products at the Armstrong Works, on Newcastle’s Scotswood Road.

Pearson provides equipment to counter land mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and has been credited with saving many lives in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In recent years the company was able to rapidly ramp-up production of counter mine equipment in order to quickly meet Urgent Operational Requirements from the British Army and US armed forces.

The company demonstrated its latest products to the Minister including a new type of vehicle that clears IEDs from dangerous routes with the use of state of the art detection and defeat systems.

The vehicle is an example of Pearson Engineering’s commitment to private venture research and development, for which the company has previously been the recipient of two Queen’s Awards.

Managing Director, Craig Priday, said: “We are immensely pleased that the Minister took the time to visit us today. It was a great opportunity to brief him on our products and to showcase the capability of our talented team. We are proud to continue the long history of exceptional defence engineering and manufacture at Armstrong Works.”

Acquisition of the Armstrong Works by parent company Reece Group, combined with Pearson Engineering’s defence experience and know-how, has retained an essential defence manufacturing capability in the UK.

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