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Stafford engineering firm's new centre hailed

A council boss has welcomed plans by international engineering firm Alstom to build a new multi-million pound centre in Stafford.

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The company has announced plans to build the new facility at Redhill business park.

It is due to open by the end of 2016 when the firm's UK automation activities will move from its current location at its St Leonards site.

The new centre will house 400 staff, but is not currently expected to create new jobs.

Ian Thompson, the chief executive of Stafford Borough Council, said: "We have worked very closely with Alstom over a number of years to ensure their future in Stafford.

"So we are delighted that they have managed to find the Redhill site which will meet their needs and secure their long-term future and that of their employees. It is further proof of the attraction that our county town has for leaders in the global engineering industry."

The automation division makes high-tech electronic equipment which helps companies like National Grid control the flow of electricity.

A planning application has been lodged with Stafford Borough Council and a decision is due to be made in the coming months.

About 1,400 people work for Alstom's Grid business in Stafford with another 300 in the company's thermal power unit making the company the town's largest private sector employer.

In the UK, Alstom is active in the rail, power and electricity transmission sectors operating from 30 sites. The firm employs more than 6,500 people across the country.

Last week Alstom revealed it had been boosted by a 10 per cent rise in sales thanks to delivery contracts across the globe.

Sales at the international engineering firm stood at £1.1 billion over the third quarter of 2014/15 – up 10 per cent.

Bosses said the increase in sales was down to the deliveries of regional or mainline trains in France, Germany and Italy, as well as by high-speed trains in Switzerland and Poland and tramways in Dubai.

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