First Minister announces 1,100 investment jobs for Wales

20 Nov 2014 01:56 PM

On the eve of the UK Investment Summit Wales 2014 at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, the First Minister Carwyn Jones has announced six new investment projects that are receiving Welsh Government support to create more than 1,100 new, high quality jobs for Wales.

Speaking ahead of the summit, the First Minister said:

“Inward investment to Wales is at record levels.  These six projects are creating a very significant number of new, high quality jobs for Wales.

“There’s nothing we can’t do in Wales and that’s what I’ll be telling international investors tomorrow. They won’t just have to take my word for it – today’s announcements are the latest in a steady stream of new and existing investors who continue to choose Wales.”  

The six projects creating a total of more than 1,100 new jobs for Wales are:

• International business advisory firm Deloitte is set to create up to 700 jobs as it prepares to diversify and expand its business operations Centre of Excellence in the Central Cardiff Enterprise Zone;
• London-based Griffin Place Communications (GPC), a new contact centre outsourcer specialising in customer care and lead generation, is set to create more than 300 new jobs in the next 12 months at its new site in Cwmbran;
• Raytheon is re-investing and expanding its Special Mission Aircraft facility at its Broughton site on Deeside Enterprise Zone, which will become the HQ for the Airborne Solutions business. The c.£1m investment, which is backed by Welsh Government business finance, will create a Centre of Excellence for design and programme management for UK and international customers, as well as R&D activities that will create  50 highly-skilled jobs;  
• London-based Smartpipe Solutions is establishing a software development and research centre in Cwmbran in a Welsh-Government supported investment of over £10m that will create 44 highly skilled IT engineering jobs;
• SPTS Technologies, an Orbotech (NASDAQ:ORBK) Welsh anchor company, has been awarded a Welsh Government R&D grant towards a  three-year research project to develop advanced wafer processing solutions for high growth Advanced Packaging applications in the manufacture of the latest generation of integrated circuits and micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS). The project will create 30 full-time R&D roles at Newport;
• Global packaging firm Essentra, a FTSE 250 company, opens a new 52,000 sq ft purpose-built packaging manufacturing facility at Imperial Park in Newport tomorrow (Friday November 21), creating more than 20 new jobs.

The First Minister has yesterday (Thursday 20 November) visited the site of SPTS in Newport, which currently employs 263 people, close to the Celtic Manor Resort where today’s summit  will be held.

He said:  

“Wales has become the first choice for more and more companies. Today’s announcements are further evidence that Wales is a leading location for companies wishing to expand their business. We operate in a global market and there is global competition for these projects. These companies could have been located anywhere in the world and I am happy to say they all chose to come to Wales.

“It is a clear endorsement that Wales can deliver and businesses clearly acknowledge this. We have the skills, the infrastructure, the expertise and the backing of the Welsh Government to support business growth.

“We have supported each of these new investment projects as a business-friendly government that works with industry and proactively encourages and supports inward investment.

“On the eve of  the UK Investment Summit Wales 2014 I couldn’t wish for a better advertisement for Welsh skills and success as we promote Wales as the location of choice for investors."