A NORTH East company has secured a long-term lease to allow for the construction of a £1.5m coating facility and centre for excellence.

Diffusion Alloys, which has been based at Teesport Commerce Park, next to the River Tees, for more than 18 years, has secured a new lease from PD Ports.

It is now accelerating plans to build a 8,000sq ft warehouse on the site to boost processing capability and create 20 jobs over the next two years.

The investment is the latest in a string of developments at the commerce park following PD Ports’ success in securing two waste-to-energy plants, in conjunction with Wentworth Clean Power, projects worth a cumulative £660 million.

PD Ports Group property director Michael McConnell welcomed the further investment at Teesport Commerce Park, a 135 acre site home to a number of logistics and maritime businesses.

He said: “PD Ports is delighted to have granted Diffusion Alloys a new long-term lease that will enable them to continue to grow their business and build a brand new production facility in line with growing demand.

“Projects such as Diffusion Alloys’ centre for excellence and the Wentworth Clean Power waste-to-energy plants really highlight the trust and confidence that large-scale business have in the Tees Valley thanks to our expertise, our strong-skills base and our unrivalled connections to global markets.

“We very much look forward to continuing to support Diffusion Alloys as they bring their new facility to fruition over the longer-term.”

Lisa Randall, managing director for Diffusion Alloys, said there was an anticipated significant rise in demand for its specialist services over the next 10 to 20 years, which was the driving force behind the decision to expand the company’s Tees-based capabilities and base its centre for excellence at Teesport Commerce Park.

The company, which provides coating solutions for a number of sectors, including clean energy applications, turbomachinery, in the oil and gas and process industries and for industrial products, also has a facility in Hatfield, in Hertfordshire.

She said: "We are delighted to be not only extending our lease at Teesport Commerce Park, but also investing further to build a new facility on site.

“The new factory and centre for excellence site will enable the company to support the build out of hydrogen generation technology from within the UK.

“The decision is testimony to our dedicated and hard-working staff in Teesside who have been instrumental in making this investment possible.”

PD Ports, owner and operator of Teesport, directly invested over £17 million in infrastructure and developments across the Tees Valley during 2020, building on the £1 billion of investment the port operator has attracted in the last decade.

Teesport Commerce Park is home to number of maritime and logistics companies, including A&P, LV Shipping, Mobile Mini and UK Docks.

PD Ports recently secured an agreement with STRABAG to let an 85,000 sq.ft. unit within its site at Hartlepool, bringing 100 new jobs to the region.