Yaskawa – part of Japanese manufacturing giant Yaskawa Electric Corporation – is a leading tech supplier of drives, motion controls and robotics and it is keen to take advantage of opportunities in the electric and hybrid vehicles sector.
The opportunities in EV tech will see the firm plant roots at Hillthorn Park, next to Nissan UK and the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP), where it is opening a 35,000 square foot facility.
The company is relocating its UK operation to Wearside in a move which is set to create new jobs, as well as safeguard existing roles.
David Walsh, managing director at Yaskawa UK Ltd, said the company is moving here to be at the "heart of one of the UK’s largest manufacturing clusters".
Walsh added: “We continue to see positive growth and investment changes across our European organisation which includes the continued desire to invest in the growing opportunities for UK markets in the robotics, drives and motion control industries we work in.
“So, it really is a huge vote of confidence in the UK and our new location in the North East is a huge driver for major industrial investment and opportunities to help shape, create and contribute to innovative automation solutions for several industries such as automotive, food and beverage, logistics, packaging, manufacturing, wood and metal working, etc.
“As a business, being close to customers is extremely important to us and this move binds perfectly with that, putting us right at the heart of one of the UK’s largest manufacturing clusters and some of the biggest names in EV development and production.
“We also have plans to continue growing our headcount over the course of the next year and this will give us the space required to enable that, as well as ensuring we can continue to tap into the region’s rich talent pool of skilled workers.”
Yaskawa currently has a robotics and drives facility based in County Durham, whilst its motion products are manufactured in Cumbernauld, Scotland. 80% of European robot demands are manufactured at its robot plant in Slovenia.