Hitachi Rail Europe, still seen by many as a Japanese manufacturer, has hit a landmark as it has employed its thousandth employee in the UK.
Coming just one year after then-PM David Cameron opened the company’s Newton Aycliffe plant, Emma Dixon has been taken on at the County Durham factory. There, she will help to build new trains for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP), commuter trains for Abellio ScotRail and a new Inter City fleet for Transpennine Express.
While Emma, who comes from nearby Spennymoor, was previously working in retail, she has actually had prior manufacturing experience in the electrical sector.
There is more to come, as Emma’s appointment is only a precursor to a further 150 new skilled roles that will have to be filled, including 50 apprentices, as the company gears up to manufacture the three new train fleets.
Overjoyed to be joining Hitachi, Emma Dixon commented, ‘I’m really excited to be joining Hitachi, and it’s a great opportunity for me.
‘I’m thrilled to be the 1,000th employee and so far all of my new colleagues have been very supportive and friendly, which means I’m looking forward to a happy and rewarding career with Hitachi.’
Managing director Karen Boswell added, ‘To achieve our plan, HRE is continuing to build a talented team of people, like Emma, drawn from a diverse range of careers and backgrounds who are working together to create an exciting and sustainable future.
‘Our 1,000th UK employee is a significant milestone, and we have clear goals and a strategy to grow our business and double our workforce by the end of 2019.’
Photo: Hitachi.