AIC Steel Group has announced it is to invest £10m into its first UK manufacturing facility on an eight-acre site in Newport, South Wales.

As part of its expansion plans, the firm will use the 35,000 m2 site as its UK manufacturing hub and will open a design and engineering office in London to target major projects.

Some 120 new jobs will be created at the site, where the 12,500 m2 covered fabrication bays will provide a phase one annual output capacity of 20,000 tonnes of structural steelwork.

Commenting on its move into the UK market, CEO of AIC Steel UK Michael Treacy said: "We are delighted to be able to announce this investment and a long-term commitment to Newport, which is helped by the fact that we are backed by a major global parent company with a long term focus. We have a clear strategy for building a thriving business here in the UK.

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"We have a long and proud track record of delivering high-quality work, and our global network of satisfied customers hold the key to our success. Having worked with a number of UK consultants on major projects, it was a natural progression to establish a presence here. There are a number of exciting opportunities in the UK market that we are proactively targeting.

"We chose Newport as our manufacturing hub as it has a culture that supports heavy industry and a skilled local workforce. There is a good supplier infrastructure in south Wales that we can tap into, and the port will be integral to our export activity.

"The road and rail connections to London and the availability of skilled professionals and services locally also helped in our decision making process. We believe that "Made in Wales" is a strong manufacturing brand in export markets and we have a strong, award-winning senior team in place to help drive growth."

(MH)