THE region's ability to compete at making products for the global market has been dramatically squeezed in recent years.

More than 4,000 jobs - 3,400 in County Durham alone - have been lost to closures and relocations abroad by a plethora of established companies.

Black and Decker, in Spennymoor, tops a list of shame for employers unable to cope in tough economic circumstances.

Strong currency rates and increasing pressure from cheap production sites in emerging markets have turned a once proud manufacturing region into a scene of economic devastation.

Despite this, some firms continue to thrive on the back of innovation and skilled workforces.

Sometimes, however, having a skilled workforce is not enough.

Black and Decker axed 950 jobs two years ago, favouring lower-cost production in the Czech Republic. It still has 450 staff in County Durham making high-quality goods.

The toolmaker does not stand alone in the redundancy stakes.

On Teesside, steel producer Corus sliced its employee numbers by 1,100 as part of a wider 7,000 redundancies as it battled with monumental debt.

GlaxoSmithKline dispensed with 400 jobs at its Barnard Castle site, in County Durham, as part of a global reorganisation programme.

Practically every area of County Durham has a dismal tale to tell about the far-reaching implications of closure.

Darlington suffered earlier this year with the closure of the Torrington engineering plant. The operation, on the town's Yarm Road, was taken over by US firm Timken. Its first act was to close the Darlington plant in favour of production abroad.

Newton Aycliffe lost jobs in quick succession at Sloman Engineering, TKA Tallent Engineering, SMK and Blenheim Furniture.

And as well as all regions, all facets of manufacturing have been on the receiving end of redundancy.

The rag trade is close to extinction in the North-East, plagued by shop chains demanding better quality for tighter prices.

Sarah Lee Courtaulds produced clothes in Bishop Auckland and Peterlee, but losing contracts from the likes of Marks and Spencer to foreign sites proved too much.

Weatherproofs retailer J Barbour and Sons also cut costs this year by moving 87 jobs from Crook to a site on Tyneside.