The Washington, Wearside, branch of Spain’s Gestamp has carried out a GBP150,000 expansion and created new jobs after winning its first deal for work on BMW’s redesigned Mini.
Gestamp has extended its plant which will store parts for the new car before they are delivered to BMW’s factory in Oxford, the Northern Echo reported.
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The firm said the agreement, which runs until 2021, has allowed it to take on nine permanent workers and it is reviewing plans to take more temporary workers on full time contracts.
Gestamp, which employs 196 people, and has several facilities across the UK, designs and makes chassis and parts for Nissan, General Motors, and Jaguar Land Rover.
The company is also understood to be making parts for Nissan’s redesigned Qashqai which will be made in Sunderland.
The BMW and Nissan contracts start next month. Mark Potts, Gestamp operations director, told the Echo turnover in 2015 could hit GBP37m.
He said: “We’re delighted to have won this contract because four years ago this company worked 100% for Nissan.
“Now we have contracts with Nissan, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover and BMW.”
Sunderland City Council supported the company’s extension.
Potts said: “The council’s business investment team understand the automotive sector globally and have worked alongside us as we’ve grown.”
Gestamp has its headquarters in Madrid and employs more than 33,000 workers at 120 global sites.
