Sunderland - Automotive City

As the largest car plant in the UK, Nissan has been the cornerstone of Sunderland's economic renaissance. The plant currently manufactures the Micra, Micra C+C, Note, Qashqai and more recently the Qashqai+2 at its Sunderland site. Employing just over 5,000 people, the plant will produce 450,000 units this year.

Sustaining its reputation for inward investment, Sunderland has been named by KMPG as one of the best five places in the UK for business. It's a reputation that has been hard won over the past decade, thanks to the success of Nissan, and developments such as the Doxford International Business Park and Sunderland Enterprise Park.

More than 20 component manufacturers have set up in Sunderland, supplying not only Nissan but other plants worldwide including Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, Toyota, Honda, VW, Seat and Opel.

TRW, part of the Blackstone Group, has two plants in the city. Johnson Controls, Magna Kansei and Faurecia also have a presence there, and they have recently been joined by Karmann, Lear-Tacle and Valeo.

The future looks bright too with the addition of Turbine Business Park adjacent to the Nissan site which will create 690,000 sq ft of mixed use business space and bring an additional 4,000 jobs to the city.

A key attraction for investors is the leading edge telecommunications and network facilities available. This includes the state-of-the-art e-volve Business Centre - another reason why Sunderland has been named one of the most 'IT Intelligent' communities in the world. The #8 million building, which received its first tenants last year, is a developing hub for knowledge-based information and communication technology businesses.

Underpinning this success has been the hard work of the council and its dedicated business investment team. It was a driving force behind the development of Rainton Bridge South and Doxford International - along with property developer Goodman - and works tirelessly behind the scenes to sustain a competitive business environment.

It is continuing to work in partnership with the private sector to attract fresh inward investment and create new jobs. Regeneration projects totalling more than #2 billion are currently underway, reshaping the city's landscape and helping it achieve its aim of becoming the most liveable city in the UK.

Sunderland is a large and thriving city and its workforce; academic institutions and the local council are committed to supporting the sector and helping to ensure business growth.

• availability of land and premises;
• financial incentives available from the City Council and other sources;
• contacts at companies already located in the city;
• labour availability and cost;
• communication links - road, rail, air, sea, telecommunications;
• quality of life in the city - house prices, leisure, education and health care.

Gold Sponsor

TRW TRW Automotive, with 2006 sales of $13.1 billion, is among the world's 10 largest automotive suppliers. It customers include more than 40 major vehicle manufacturers and 250 nameplates. Braking systems: Anti-lock braking systems (ABS), traction control, and electronic stability control (ESC) systems; foundation brake products, and brake actuation systems Steering and suspension systems: Power and manual rack and pinion steering gears and systems; Electrically Assisted Steering (EAS) and suspension systems and components Driver assist systems: Adaptive cruise control systems, Lane Departure Warning systems Commercial steering systems: Complete commercial steering systems and steering components for medium and heavy on/off highway vehicles Inflatable restraint systems: Complete airbag systems for driver, passenger, knee, seat ramp, side-impact, curtain and rollover applications. Components/products include heated and cold gas generant inflators, bag and module assemblies Steering wheel systems: From base wheels to top-of-the-line that incorporate leather, wood, multi-functional switches, and integral airbag modules Seat belt systems: Seat belt systems composed of retractor and buckle assemblies, pyrotechnic retractor and buckle assemblies, energy management devices, height adjusters, seat-integrated restraints, and Active Control Retractor (ACR) systems Safety electronics: Airbag control units, side-impact sensors, side-impact pressure sensors, frontal-crash-zone sensors, rollover sensors, weight-sensing systems, vision-based occupant sensing, vision-based lane departure warning systems, distributed sensing and firing systems, passenger airbag disable (PAD) switches and complete tyre pressure monitoring systems, among others. Body control systems: HVAC controls and actuators, interior controls and switches, rain and multi-function sensors, transmission switches, power management controls, safety sensors for braking and steering, and safety interface controls and electronics for airbags and seat positioning Engine components: Engine valves and valve train systems and components, and Electromagnetic Valve Train (EMVT) technology for fuel-efficient engine Engineered fasteners and components: Metal and plastic fastening systems, precision plastic molding and modules, and specialty fasteners such as seal plugs, wire harnesses, and pipe and trim fasteners. Click here to go to website

Silver Sponsor

DHL EXEL Supply Chain Automotive UK, a sector of DHL Exel Supply Chain has proven expertise in the automotive industry and tailors solutions to individual needs at every stage of the automotive supply chain. Its in-plant division can provide late configuration, sub-assembly, engineering change management, sequencing, linefeed, warehousing, supplier and inventory management to support customers in building products right first time. The inbound to manufacturing division combines a range of services and systems to deliver a globally replicable response to inbound supply chain challenges. Services incorporate inventory management, postponement services, quality inspection and re-work activity, among others. Specialist JIT transportation and return packaging control are integrated within the solution sets. Automotive UK offers proactive solutions to enable its customers to respond quickly and economically to both supply chain events and fast-changing markets. With operations based in 36 locations, specialist providers of fleet management and aftermarket logistics, it is the only 3PL that operates in all areas of the UK automotive supply chain. Click here to go to website

Flanders Belgium and Flanders are host to the world’s top automotive manufacturing brands, making its automotive industry one of the most prominent in the world. Flanders is home to continental Europe's most diverse and productive vehicle manufacturing base and the vehicle per capita output is second in the world. Major global automotive companies such as Volvo, Ford, Opel, Toyota, etc. are attracted to Belgium its perfect location in Europe, by the engineering excellence, high productivity, workforce skills and the excellent business environment. The Embassy of Belgium in London is looking forward on hearing from you at 020 73077710; fitlondon@fitlondon.org or Click here to go to website

IDTH ITDH - Your passport to Hungary Daimler, Audi, Suzuki, GM… Auto giants who justify that Hungary is a favourable investment location. The automotive sector is one of Hungary’s core industries, the sector exports 90pc of its production and accounts for 20pc of Hungary's total exports. Over 600 companies employing a total of 110,000 people are active in the Hungarian automotive industry. Not only OEMs but 14 of the top 20 Tier 1 suppliers have set up production facilities in Hungary. What Hungary can add to your strategy: outstanding infrastructure in terms of road, telecoms and power supply; competitive cost and high productivity. Hungary is a real business centre in the heart of Europe. If you are interested, please contact ITDH, the government's investment and trade development agency, the all-inclusive information and consultation centre for foreign investors in Hungary. Our services are complimentary. Click here to go to website

Profil PROFIL develops pierce nuts and studs which are fastened to metal components using a riveting process. We are a system supplier that also constructs automated feeding equipment which is customised to meet the production requirements of our customers. The economic advantages of using the PROFIL system in industrial manufacturing is documented by a multitude of applications, mainly in automotive, appliance and construction fittings industries. All major automobile manufacturers and suppliers are those among our customer base. Cost savings of at least 30% can be achieved over equivalent welded processes. The quality of the resulting fixing is also superior to welded fasteners. PROFIL fastener technology is suitable for sheet metal components in aluminium through to high strength steels up to 1500Mpa. Click here to go to website

Tyne & Wear Tyne and Wear Development Company is a business development agency offering independent advice on all aspects of expansion or relocation within Tyne and Wear. Acting on behalf of the five local authorities – Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland, the agency provides free and confidential advice on the availability of office and industrial property, grants and financial assistance, labour availability, recruitment and training, as well as supporting information on Tyne and Wear Its services are available to all businesses from across a range of sectors and Tyne and Wear Development Company will support your business throughout your enquiry, giving you one consistent point of support. It has direct links to the local business community and can facilitate introductions to appropriate businesses such as accountants, property agents and recruitment agencies. The agency also has strong working partnerships with various business support, economic development and government agencies in Tyne and Wear and the North East region of the United Kingdom. Click here to go to website