Manufacturing
How the Right Business Location Adds Value to Efficient Business Operations
The right location is an important factor in providing a competitive edge. Studies show that even smaller manufacturing firms grow faster when they are located outside the prosperous mature regions of the UK. Lower costs over-all, particularly of staff and premises, make a major contribution, but the factor that contributes most to the growth of smaller companies is a supportive environment and the availability of public-sector finance.
On all counts the Tees Valley scores highly – and has the success stories to prove it. The package of benefits is summarised below, and covered in more detail in the data sheets available to download below.
Just one decision – to locate in the Tees Valley – puts all the basics in place.
Four fundamental competitive advantages
Workforce
- Over 53,000 people looking for work (30,000 male, 23,000 female)
- Total Tees Valley working-age population: 386,670
- 40,000 of people in work engaged in manufacturing
- Average wage levels 85% of UK average
- Lowest labour turnover in UK: one third of the national average; half the rest of the UK
- 80% of school-leavers go on to higher education or training.
Skilled, available and affordable, the Tees Valley workforce offers manufacturers a solution to one of the continuing problems of manufacturers in other areas – getting and keeping the right people.
Logistics
- Local gateway, national hub, international expressway
- Faster-moving traffic than almost any other UK urban area
- Excellent and constantly-improving road, rail, air and sea infrastructure
- UK's best north-south rail link (East Coast Main Line: London 21/4 hours away)
- One of the fastest-growing regional airports
- UK's second-largest port
- Over 200 local companies with supply-chain and logistics expertise competing to supply logistics services.
A major contribution to profitability is total supply-chain management. The Tees Valley has an exceptional logistics infrastructure, still under continuous development and attracting substantial investment. Geographical location and advanced logistics facilities make profitable just-in-time manufacture and delivery easy to set up, at very competitive rates.
Energy and utilities
- Local presence of large international manufacturers and their suppliers – continuous demand for the competitive supply of utilities and services
- Deals in many areas – energy and services not only reliable, but uniquely affordable
- Inexhaustible supply from Northumbrian Water, in tailored qualities at one of the lowest charges in the UK
- Advanced range of infrastructure services (e.g. waste and effluent treatment) still attracting substantial investment
- North East will be first UK region with 100% broadband availability (2004)
The strong manufacturing tradition in the Tees Valley has developed a flexible, commercial approach among utilities and services suppliers – a valuable contribution to cost-reduction.
Sites and premises
- Typically around 300,000 sq ft of brand-new industrial space is available
- Steady turnover of some 3 million sq ft of previously occupied industrial property
- Huge choice of type and size of sites – including some of UK's largest
- New-build rents from around £4.00/sq ft. Previously occupied rents even lower
- Specialist facilities include: extreme eaves heights, heavy floor loadings, wharfage, over-the-fence supplies of raw materials or power all available,etc.
- Immediate occupation.