A FIRM manufacturing robots is to increase its North Yorkshire workforce to meet rising demand for its products in the nuclear decommissioning sector.

SMD, which specialised in underwater robots for hazardous environments, wants to use its purchase of Hallin Robotics, in Malton, North Yorkshire, last year, to build its nuclear business.

The Newcastle-based firm, which recently won a Queen’s Award for Innovation, is taking on ten design engineers.

It comes as it focuses the Malton business on transferring its expertise in Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to the nuclear decommissioning sector, where they can perform tasks in environments too dangerous for people.

SMD chief executive Andrew Hodgson said: “Alongside the emerging renewables sector, oil and gas and the subsea telecommunication cable industry, nuclear is a very important market for SMD.

“Our Malton operation is key to developing new systems to support the nuclear industry and the personnel we are looking to recruit will be part of a team which is at the cutting edge of engineering for the energy industry.”

Last year, the company designed a ground-based ROV for use at Sellafield in Cumbria.

Another recent model, the Q-Trencher, was involved in subsea communications cable repair following the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.