Trudy has spoken of her pride for Cumbria’s highly skilled workforce following the official opening of a new ‘Centre of Excellence in Remote Handling’.
Today Mrs Harrison joined industry figures at a special ceremony to officially launch PaR Systems’ new European Remote Handling facility in Lillyhall, Workington.
A global leader in automated handling systems, the Minnesota based company which has been operating in Seascale since 2011 opened the new facility as part of a long-term commitment to its UK customers. PaR will be working directly to support the remote handling systems supplied to Sellafield.
The company is also supporting projects that include cranes, manipulators, custom tooling, robotic handling systems and R&D for decommissioning whilst aiming to develop its workforce to help to build skill sets transferable into countless industries and situations.
Mrs Harrison, said: “PaR will bring much more than jobs and growth to the area, this very welcome US investment will accelerate safe working in highly irradiated areas to clean up the legacy waste. The combination of virtual technology, modern communications and remote, precision engineering is the future for hazardous environments, in West Cumbria and right across Europe.
Aiming to grow the company further, PaR System’s new facility will include workshops for assembly of mechanical and electrical equipment as well as for the building, testing and refurbishment of manipulator systems.
The state-of-the-art facility also has classroom and conference space, which will be used for PaR’s role as a training provider and to support larger projects.
The Company will also be working to develop other core technology solutions, such as aerospace, automotive and commercial material handling.
Mrs Harrison added: “I enjoyed a fascinating tour of the impressive new site, the team are highly motivated and I wish the company all the very best n this latest mission.”
