A NORTH-EAST firm whose products are being used by British forces in the Gulf is bucking the economic trend and creating jobs.

Ebac manufactures domestic and bottled water coolers and dehumidifiers and employs 350 staff at its base in Bishop Auckland.

The award-winning company, which has a contract with the Ministry of Defence to supply air cooling filtration systems for use in the desert, says it has seen a "sustained increase in sales worldwide".

As a result, it is recruiting 50 full-time staff to work on its production line.

Ebac chairman John Elliott said it was competing against companies from all over the world, and winning.

He said: "Our view is that UK firms can succeed in manufacturing provided they invest in people, products, and processes.

"I am not just talking about booking on to trendy training courses or learning the latest gimmick.

"I am talking about innovation and improvements being a way of life.

"Companies that move overseas often incur costs elsewhere that cancel out the savings offered by reduced labour costs.

"At the end of the day we deliver what the customer wants.

"This straightforward approach to business served British industry well in the most prosperous times in our history. We are confident it will continue to deliver further success at Ebac."

He added: "Our orders are shipped to places including Hong Kong, the US, mainland Europe, the Middle East and South Africa, as well as in the UK.

"We place a high priority on product quality, and value."

Ebac supplied portable air conditioners for use in field hospitals in the last Gulf War in 1991.

It also shipped thousands of its dehumidifiers to retailers in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic last year, following the serious floods which struck central Europe.

Ebac's recruitment push goes against the grain of recent times during which major redundancies were announced in South-West Durham by manufacturers such as Black and Decker.

The area has also suffered by companies relocating to other sites, such as Barbour, which closed its Crook operations when it moved production to South Shields.

Read more about the Working for a Future campaign here.