A COMPANY that exports all over the world is creating jobs thanks to a £140,000 grant from regional development agency One NorthEast.

Stephenson Gobin, in High Etherley, Wear Valley, County Durham, has been able to secure the future of 19 jobs from its workforce of 43 and will create a further nine new jobs as a result of the financial aid.

The company makes power transmission and fire security products and plans to upgrade facilities at its plant and bring production processes such as laser cutting in-house.

It exports to Europe, South Africa, Australia and the US and hopes that the efficiencies the changes bring will enable it to compete more effectively against foreign competition.

David Wilson, managing director at Stephenson Gobin, said: "We operate in a market that has recently seen many of our competitors close their UK manufacturing bases.

"However, we have always found that manufacturing our products in the UK, combined with a quick turnaround on small batches, gives us a marketing advantage.

"The support from One NorthEast to enable us to maintain our competitive edge will be vital to the future success of the company."