Major Northumberland employer Dr盲ger Safety 海角视频 is set to build a new North East facility as part of a multimillion-pound expansion plan.

The owner of the safety and medical technology specialist has announced it is in talks to acquire land for a new base close to its existing Northumberland plant, which employs 450 people. Dr盲ger bosses said a number of locations are being considered which are close to the existing facility at Blyth Riverside Business Park, to make sure the company can retain the skills and experience of its existing staff, many of whom have worked with Dr盲ger in Northumberland for many years.

The Blyth base, which marked 60 years of business last year, designs and manufactures breathing apparatus and gas detectors and is also home to the headquarters of the company鈥檚 safety division in the 海角视频, as well as sales, service and support functions. The board has said that the new facility will also be significantly bigger than the current site.

However, while Dr盲ger says its existing Blyth site 鈥渨ill remain in use for the immediate future鈥, it has yet to confirm if the new site will become a second North East base or a replacement for its current operations. The company said: 鈥淭he Dr盲ger Group has been operating in Blyth for more than 60 years. Although the current site, which the business owns, has been expanded during this time, it has now reached its capacity and further expansion is constrained due to its location. It has therefore become clear that a larger site is needed to accommodate the company鈥檚 predicted growth.鈥

Work is now under way to develop more detailed plans and to select a final site for the potential new facility, which it is hoped will accommodate research and development, manufacturing, sales, service and support. The firm said more details on the plans are expected to be announced in the coming months.

Malcolm Irving, Dr盲ger鈥檚 head of global supply chain management, safety division and managing director, safety division 海角视频 & Ireland, said: 鈥淭oday鈥檚 announcement is the culmination of over 18 months鈥 work to determine the best long-term future for the business in the 海角视频, and I am delighted to be able to reaffirm our commitment to the North East. The new plans seek to enable the expansion of our operations in line with our anticipated growth projections over the coming years.

鈥淓nsuring that we retain the skills and experience of our exceptionally committed and talented staff, many of whom have worked with Dr盲ger here in Northumberland for many years, was instrumental in our decision to not only remain, but to further invest, in the North East over the coming years.鈥

Draeger Safety 海角视频 forms part of the wider Dr盲ger Group, a family company launched in 1889 with over 16,000 employees in 50 countries, specialising in safety products for the utilities, oil and gas, renewable energy, emergency services and manufacturing sectors.

Stefan Dr盲ger, chairman of the executive board, who is the fifth generation of the Dr盲ger family to run the business, added: 鈥淭his decision endorses our confidence in the 海角视频 for future business. Our site in the North East of England is an integral part of our global operations function.

鈥淏lyth is a centre of excellence for the production of our breathing apparatus for global demand. The decision to invest in this project demonstrates our commitment to the future growth of the 海角视频 and to our people, committed to Technology for Life.鈥