Trevor Heaton

Nifco UK Limited

Nifco UK is an Eaglescliffe based car parts manufacturer. The company produces plastic components that are used in the engines, interiors and exteriors of cars made by Nissan, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Vauxhall Opel and Jaguar Landrover. It is part of Nifco Inc, a global business, headquartered in Japan. Described in the media as ‘the poster boy for the rebirth of British manufacturing', Nifco UK has seen its business grow at rapid, yet controlled, pace. In 2012, the company moved to a state-of-the-art facility, Nifco House, thanks to an investment of £8.5million, that was supported with £1.65m from the Government's Regional Growth Fund (RGF) Round 1. Sales soared, and the company quickly reached capacity, which led to the decision to take more space on land adjacent to its primary factory. The business invested a further £12.8m to develop its second manufacturing facility and Research and Development centre in Stockton-on-Tees that opened in April 2014. Nifco was awarded £1.92m from RGF Round 3 to support with the cost of the factory, and the facility was declared officially open in December by HRH the Duke of York. The company employs more than 600 people from in and around Teesside, and – as part of its commitment to its workforce's development – is one of only five UK businesses to have qualified for support from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS)'s Employer Ownership Fund (EOF), allowing Nifco to develop an extensive training programme across its team.