FORTY NEW JOBS ON THE WAY

14:00 - 09 May 2003 Up to 40 new skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs are coming to Gorseinon thanks to a Swansea-born company director who persuaded his boss to re-locate from London. Leading UK heating panel manufacturer Solray is building a factory on the Garngoch industrial estate after production director Norman Richards sang Swansea's praises to his board.

Mr Richards was fed up trying to find skilled staff in the middle of London, and knew Swansea had a ready workforce. He contacted one of his relatives - Swansea's Lord Mayor, June Burtonshaw - and moves began to organise a relocation. Work on building the 28,000 square feet factory started yesterday, and will provide 30 - 40 construction jobs for Swansea firm Dean and Dyball over the next six months.

Solray is getting a grant of more then £800,000 from the Gorseinon Regeneration Trust towards the multi-million pound investment. It is excellent news for an area rocked in recent years from Valeo, 3M and Corus redundancies. "Swansea is the best area in the UK for light engineering skills," said Mr Richards. "There is also plenty of room here for expansion." "It is also a beautiful part of the world, with Swansea Bay and the Gower." Mr Richards, who left Swansea 28 years ago, said he was thrilled to be back.

Solray managing director Alistair Comyn Ching, said he had called Mr Richards bluff and told him that if he could come up with an eager workforce, the company would move. Solray looked at other UK sites, but settled on Gorseinon. "We chose Swansea because of the many advantages it will bring us, including excellent transport and communication links across the whole of the UK. "It also has a highly skilled and reliable engineering workforce and a large capacity for development for future expansion needs," he said. Ron Slater, area development director of the WDA, said it was a hugely significant investment, bring first class manufacturing jobs.