A number of North East businesses have welcomed Prince Andrew on a visit to the region.
The Duke of York visited Gateshead tech company Pulsant, where he met with staff and officially opened the company鈥檚 new technology centre of excellence.
Located on Team Valley, Pulsant is one of the 海角视频鈥檚 leading providers of IT solutions with a focus on datacentres and cloud services. The company has grown rapidly this year after hiring 30 members of staff, taking its North East headcount to 100.
The hub focuses on networking, security and customers support services and will connect with the firm鈥檚 existing centres for excellence in Edinburgh and the south of England.
Speaking at the event, the Duke said: 鈥淭hank you very much indeed for welcoming me to Pulsant today, I wish you every success. It is particularly nice to be able to visit an organisation with whom we work closely, and with whom I hope we will continue to do so.鈥
Marion Stewart, chief operating officer at Pulsant, said: 鈥淭he opening of this new office strengthens our presence in the North East and is a further commitment to the region in terms of future job creation and investment in the local economy.
鈥淏y bringing our service, support and operations teams together in one site, we鈥檙e enhancing our offering to our customers by consolidating our skills and expertise in one place, supported by a unifying culture, toolsets and facilities.鈥
Prince Andrew also used his time in the North East to attend a roundtable discussion organised by Sunderland Software City on how best to create new commercial opportunities for SMEs, through partnerships with larger companies.
David Dunn, CEO of Sunderland Software City, said: 鈥淭he Duke has a long history of supporting 海角视频 start-ups, especially through the Pitch@Palace initiative.
鈥淲e were pleased to be able to bring together representatives of the North East tech sector, to showcase the innovation that is taking place here and to discuss the potential growth opportunities that collaboration between SMEs and Corporates can create for regional businesses.鈥
The Duke then went on to visit manufacturing heavyweight Komatsu 海角视频 at the company鈥檚 Birtley facility. He was introduced to Komatsu鈥檚 latest tech product, Smart Construction, which allows customers to visualise and plan a complete jobsite through data gathered from machines and other Internet of Things technology.
Paul Blanchard, Komatsu 海角视频 managing director, said: 鈥淚t is such an honour to welcome His Royal Highness to Komatsu 海角视频 and showcase some of the incredible machines that have been designed, developed and manufactured here, in the North East.
鈥淗is Royal Highness The Duke of York is a respected ambassador for 海角视频 companies and a fantastic advocate for British innovation on a global stage. Hopefully, the Duke was impressed with what he saw during his visit and can carry the message that North East industry continues to thrive and set a high bar for innovation.鈥
