Jobs created at manufacturer after £250,000 investment

JOBS are being created at a North Yorkshire manufacturer after it announced a £250,000 investment in its expansion.

Ripon-based company Econ Engineering has bought a 87,120 sq ft site from Yorkshire Water for £150,000, to expand their manufacturing facility.

Harrogate Borough Council granted outline planning for a £100,000 extension to Econ’s current production facility and a vehicle storage area. The development is due to be completed in May.

The gritter and snow plough manufacturer is expanding its fleet by 100 vehicles, taking its total to 500.

Last year the company was named in the The Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 , listing the fastest growing companies for international exports, which were up 31% at Econ to £1.5m.

Andrew Lupton, joint managing director at Econ Engineering, said: “We are seeing an escalating demand for Econ’s contract hire vehicles. The option to lease gritters and snowploughs that can be maintained on a fixed-cost basis suits many local authorities’ budgets and it’s an attractive alternative for many councils to owning their winter maintenance stock outright.”

“We’re extremely proud to be one of the largest manufacturers in the area and we really value our skilled workforce, who we consider to be Econ’s greatest asset. It’s exciting that we are now looking to take on a further 20 employees to help us manufacture these state-of-the-art vehicles which are used by around three quarters of the UK’s local authorities.”

Econ turns over £300m and currently employs 200 people at its Ripon manufacturing base. It is a family-owned Ripon manufacturer established in 1969.