Multi-million investment boost for 3M Aycliffe manufacturing

The company announced today (15 July) that the 3M board in the USA had approved a £4.5m investment for new production facilities which will manufacture maintenance-free respirators. This was secured in spite of stiff competition from 3M sites in other parts of the world. The investment is being supplemented with a £675,000 ‘Selective Finance for Investment’ grant from regional development agency One NorthEast. “This investment confirms the reality of our ‘world class’ reputation,” said site manager Keith Willson. “We have shown that we have a skilled workforce that is fully capable of competing with emerging countries and economies.” The new facilities will provide additional manufacturing capacity to produce the respirators which were developed in the research and development laboratories at Aycliffe. The respirators are used in diverse industries including woodworking, steel and engineering to protect workers from inhaling dust and particles and also in the health care sector against germs and viruses such as avian flu. The new production line is due to be operational at the site by June next year.