Recruitment drive underway at recently completed manufacturing plant
Construction is now complete on a multi-million pound car parts facility which will see 150 jobs created in the region within weeks.
Silverstone Building Consultancy project managed the construction of the 194,000 sq ft purpose-built automotive facility in Sunderland, the first unit in the first phase of the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP), which will eventually lead to the creation of around 7,000 local jobs.
French car parts maker SNOP, which has more than 40 manufacturing plants throughout the world, has now taken occupation of the new facility where recruitment for 150 roles is underway, a little over a year after Silverstone was appointed as Project Manager and Employer’s Agent on the scheme.
Silverstone beat off international competition to secure the work, having previously project managed the £13m bespoke construction of two manufacturing facilities for car parts specialist Gestamp Automotive in Newton Aycliffe.
The newly-created £15m building incorporates a full occupier-led bespoke design solution which perfectly meets the client’s future needs including an on-site sustainable drainage system, energy saving high efficiency LED internal and external lighting, bespoke concrete press pit structure, 30t cranes and a controlled environment materials testing area.
The building also houses a 3000T metal-stamping transfer press, which was shipped in from Japan via Sunderland Port.
David Brander, plant director at Nissan supplier SNOP UK, which has relocated from its base in Washington onto the park, said: “Careful consideration has gone into the future life of the plant and this is evidenced by the as-built foundations, steel frame, services layout, and internal syphonic drainage system, which are already designed to take a later future extension.
“We’ve been fortunate to benefit from Silverstone’s extensive experience and specialist knowledge of the automotive sector, which enabled such a fast turnaround on planning, design and delivery”.
Richard Farrey, the director at Silverstone that managed the project, added: "It has been our pleasure to be involved in this ambitious bespoke project, which saw our experts working together with the client and the full design team to provide the very best attention to detail, and advise on the most cost-effective routes to fully meet their needs.
“The project remained within budget and delivery timescales and we’ve been delighted to hand over the keys to enable SNOP UK to begin manufacture."
Once complete, IAMP One, the first phase in the transformation of the 150-acre site, will provide 1.6 million sq ft of advanced manufacturing and industrial space, to be followed by an additional phase of three million sq ft.
