UpRight Production Moves to England

After finalizing the deal to acquire Ireland-based UpRight International only a few days ago, the Tanfield Group Plc announced this week it is moving UpRight's production to Northeast England after receiving a 1.95 million ($3.6 million USD) Selective Finance for Investment grant from regional development agency One NorthEast. Production will take place a former LG Electronics plant in Washington, Tyne and Wear. Assembly of Tanfield's other products, including zero-emission commercial electric vehicles, will also move to this facility.

According to Roy Stanley, chief executive and chairman of The Tanfield Group, this move will not only result in 400 jobs being created over the next three years, but the region will also see one of its largest manufacturing sites brought back into use.

David Allison, director of business and industry at One NorthEast, said The Tanfield Group is one of the leading employers in Northeast England. “At a time when job losses have dominated the news, it's good to hear of a home-grown company actually expanding and creating jobs,” Allison said.

Tanfield moved into the powered access market in 2004 when it bought British manufacturer Aerial Access. It has since invested in new products and significantly improved sales of Aerial's trailer-mounted and truck-mounted aerial lifts. The acquisition of UpRight will complement this range with scissor lifts and self-propelled boom lifts. It also allows Tanfield to gain sales and spare parts distribution centers in the United Kingdom, the United States, China, and Japan. Tanfield also believes the acquisition of the overseas facilities • particularly in the United States • will provide it with the platform to market its other product lines.

Although UpRight has been through a few difficult years, which led to factory closures and job cuts, The Tanfield Group is confident it can bring back success. “UpRight is an extremely well known brand all over the world, with a very strong product portfolio,” Stanley said. “By harnessing production to our engineering powerhouse and applying Tanfield's proven sales and marketing strategy, we are confident that we can significantly grow this business.”