Jobs Week gets off to a strong start
The 256 jobs at BBI Group in Caerphilly, BT in Swansea, Siltbuster in Monmouth and SPC in Maerdy , kick off a week of jobs announcements by the Economy Secretary, which demonstrate the positive impact that Welsh Government support is having on the jobs market and wider economy.
Ken Skates said
“I am pleased to be kicking off a week of jobs announcements with 256 new jobs that will be located across Wales.
“The jobs at all four companies are an indication of the hard work going on behind the scenes by Welsh Government to support businesses and help them relocate to Wales or retain and expand their operations here.
“The Welsh economy has undergone incredible advances in recent years with close to a record number of people in work and our employment rate increasing more than the UK average over the last 12 months. We are working hard to continue this momentum and to safeguard and attract quality jobs to communities right across Wales.”
The Economy Secretary announced that BBI Group is consolidating and expanding its UK manufacturing operations onto a single site in Caerphilly in a £8.5m investment supported by the Welsh Government. The investment will create at least 50 new jobs in Wales with the figure for jobs created and safeguarded standing at more than 360 by 2020.
BBI Group, which is currently headquartered in Cardiff, has a number of manufacturing facilities in the UK. Following an internal consultation the move to the Border Technology Park, Crumlin, will enable the company to centralise manufacturing and development activities from Blaenavon, Cardiff and Dundee under one roof.
Meanwhile SPC – a leading international manufacturer of rubber compounds – is to open a new facility in the Rhondda Valley that is set to create up to 40 new jobs over the next two years. The Welsh Government is providing support to ensure the investment goes ahead in Wales.
The investment by SPC follows its acquisition of two rubber compound mixing production lines from Avon Engineered Rubber’s site in Maerdy. As part of its long-term strategy to invest in its colour-compounding capability, SPC moved one line to its manufacturing headquarters in Westbury, Wiltshire, and initially planned to move the second line to its facility in Barcelona.
To retain the asset in Wales and support the creation of new jobs, the Welsh Government is providing a £150,000 grant to back the large investment SPC is making to refurbish and fit out the Maerdy premises.
In Swansea BT is expanding its customer service contact centre by creating 100 new jobs with support from the Welsh Government.
The company is creating the new roles in order to meet its commitment to answering 90 per cent of its customers’ calls in the UK by April 2017.
The new recruits will work at BT Tower in Swansea where an additional floor will be refurbished and refitted to accommodate the new business that could have been housed at other BT centres in the UK which have available capacity.
In Monmouth, Siltbuster – the UK’s leading provider of portable water treatment solutions – is investing £4.3m to expand operations in Monmouth that will create 66 new jobs in a move backed by a £1.15m funding package from the Welsh Government and Finance Wales.
The deal is the first to be made from the £136m Wales Business Fund which is backed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Welsh Government and managed by Finance Wales.
Siltbuster, which currently employs 48 people, will more than double staff numbers creating 66 highly paid skilled jobs. The company forecasts doubling turnover by 2020.