Automotive investment

High-tech car components manufacturer TRW Automotive is to create up to 170 new jobs at its north-east base.

The expansion of operations at the company’s Peterlee facility, in County Durham, has been supported with a £1.25m Selective Finance for Investment (SFI) grant from One NorthEast.

The Peterlee plant manufactures and supplies electronic components to vehicle manufacturers, specifically components for Electronic Control Units that activate occupant safety systems and crash sensors in motor vehicles.

The company employs 654 permanent and 135 temporary employees at its facility on Mill Hill, North East Industrial Estate.

The first TRW site was opened in 1988 to manufacture seat belts, then in 1996 a second site was opened to produce a range of airbag inflators.