Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, was hosted by Cook Defence Systems at their site in Stanhope.
William Cook group are a family-owned business that produce parts for the rail, defence and energy sectors, working closely with the Ministry of Defence as the only British manufacturer of tracks for the British Army’s tanks and armoured vehicles. William Cook also export tracks and other equipment to allied armies globally. Cook Defence Systems is the manufacturing arm of their business and is based in Stanhope.
Richard visited to see the £5 million investment into their new facility, where he enjoyed a tour of the now fully operational site with group commercial director William Cook, met with a number of employees and saw the new machining and manufacturing facility. The new machining facility has created 15 new jobs for the area, including apprenticeships for young people.
Richard said “Cook Defence Systems is a world-leading firm at the heart of North West Durham. It was fantastic to see not just the investment the company is making in machinery but also the investment they are making in the local community by creating jobs and apprenticeships for young people. I look forward to working with this vital local business to continue to deliver for long-term jobs and prosperity for the community.”
Mr Cook said: “We were delighted to host Mr Holden and introduce him to our company, which supports 130 highly skilled jobs in Stanhope, 340 at our sister factories in Sheffield and Leeds and hundreds more in the British supply chain. As the world’s leading independent designer and manufacturer of track systems for armoured vehicles, we continue to invest heavily in our advanced manufacturing capabilities in the North East of England. This factory and its highly-skilled workforce are absolutely vital to the British Army, which would literally grind to a halt without them.”
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