OREANDA-NEWS. International engineering company Alstom has held a ground breaking ceremony to celebrate the start of work at its new multi-million pound facility in Stafford.

The company plans to move some of its activities currently undertaken at its St Leonards site into a new facility at the Redhill Business Park in Stafford, by the end of 2016.

Neil Beardsmore, Managing Director of Commercial Solution for Alstom Grid, said: “We’re delighted to be able to start work on such an important project for Alstom that will ensure our long history in Stafford continues for many years to come. I think I speak for everyone who works for Alstom when I say that we’re all very much looking forward to having these new state-of-the-art buildings once they’re complete and to help Alstom’s continued worldwide success with technologies designed and manufactured in Stafford.”

Staffordshire County Council’s economy leader Mark Winnington said: “Seeing work start on Alstom’s new facility is a real milestone for Redhill and a significant development for the county town and for Staffordshire. By locating at Redhill and adding a second development on site, Alstom has set out its long-term commitment to Stafford and will continue to play an integral part in our continued economic growth. It is a global leader in its field and a big part of one of our key sectors. This is exactly the type of facility we wanted to see at Redhill and is being delivered by a company with strong links to the area which will continue to employ local people.”

Leader of Stafford Borough Council, Councillor Patrick Farrington, said: “Stafford has a long association with Alstom - and this continues to provide a boost to our local economy.
It is great to see work getting underway on what will be an important facility to meet the needs of Alstom and secure their long term future in Stafford - as well as protecting skilled jobs and helping to attract graduates to the area. We have worked very closely with Alstom over a number of years to ensure they were able to continue growing this division of their business with our town as their base.  It is a decision which further demonstrates the attraction that our County Town has for leaders in the global engineering industry.”

Cyril Leonard, property advisors to Alstom, has structured a joint venture with global integrated property group Goodman. The parties have worked together closely to design and specify the development, obtain planning consent and to develop out the project with options for Alstom to lease or purchase on completion.

Nigel Dolan, Development Director, Goodman UK Logistics, said: “We’re pleased to be starting work on the development of Alstom’s new facility at Redhill. Goodman has a proven track record of managing the development of state-of the-art facilities such as this and we look forward to working closely with all parties to deliver this exceptional project on time in 2016.”

Alstom has also applied to build a new facility for its HVDC and Systems operations. The business, which helps companies across the world transport power over hundreds of miles while minimising losses, will also build a Valve Test Facility at its transformer factory in Lichfield Road.

Alstom’s Stafford teams have been at the centre of a number of major contract wins around the world, including projects in India, Sweden and Germany.

Around 1,400 people work for Alstom’s Grid business in Stafford, with another 300 in the company’s Thermal Power unit, making the company the town’s largest private sector employer.

About Alstom
In the UK, Alstom is active in the rail, power and electricity transmission sectors, operates from 30 sites and employs more than 6,500 people across the country. Around a third of all rail journeys in the UK are made on Alstom rolling stock, our generating kit powers half of the UK’s power stations, we are testing new tidal turbine technology in waters off Orkney, and we operate the only large-scale transformer manufacturing facility in the UK. Our sites in Stafford and Rugby have been at the forefront of engineering developments since the 19th-century and continue to produce cutting edge technology for projects across the world.

Alstom Grid has one clear vision: to develop innovative solutions for a flexible, reliable, affordable and sustainable electrical grid, everywhere. We design, manufacture, install and service the power transmission and distribution products and systems that empower the planet’s low carbon economy... for now and for the future.
Alstom Grid has over 130 years’ experience and ranks among the top three in the electrical transmission sector with an annual sales turnover of €3.8 billion. Alstom Grid’s 17,000 employees are spread across 87 manufacturing and engineering sites worldwide and have one common mission: be our customers’ trusted partner, from the source to the city.

Press contact
Jonathan Smith, Head of Media Relations, Alstom UK – Tel 07801 775650
jonathan.smith@alstom.com