TUCKED away on a back street in Darlington you could easily drive past engineering firm Henry Williams Limited without realising it's there.

But examples of the firm’s handiwork – from railway level crossings to motorway traffic control systems - can be seen all over the country. Our daily commutes are made a whole lot easier, and safer, due in no small part to a firm which has been supplying Britain’s transport network for more than a century.

Thanks to Andrew Nelson and Steve Cotton at Henry Williams for giving me a tour around a hidden gem of North-East manufacturing. It was almost like getting a mini-history lesson of British engineering to see inside the unassuming red brick factory which houses pneumatic hammers weighing up to four tonnes bashing molten metal into shape, designers using state of the art CAD packages, and skilled staff fitting-out high tech control rooms.

Before my tour around the plant I was handed the usual array of safety gear – high vis jacket, goggles, hard hat etc - to make sure I wasn't burned by a stray red hot spark. A few days later, Northern Echo photographer Stuart Boulton turned up to take pictures of workers in the forge. He was wearing shorts, t-shirt and a pair of sandals, which raised a few eyebrows, but if you work with Stewie you’d know it’s nothing unusual.

Henry Williams has a proud heritage, but there is a real buzz about the place now after investment was been made to safeguard its long term future and help the firm secure multi-million pound orders.

Anyone who bemoans the demise of British industry, or says that we don’t make anything any longer, should spend a bit of time there.

The efforts of chairman Howard Dilley and the team at Dodsworth Street, should mean that Henry Williams is on track for a bright future. Congratulations to them all.

THANKS to everyone who responded to my call in last week’s column for bizarre or long-winded job titles. Among those I’ve added to the list are: director of customer intelligence, a property firm that employs a senior space adviser, and a portfolio holder for community infrastructure and culture. Keep them coming.

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