Mayor Chris Cooke has hailed an internationally acclaimed vinyl record plant as a “true Middlesbrough success story”.
Mayor Cooke took a tour of Press On Vinyl – less than 18 months old, but already producing tens of thousands of vinyl records a month which have been described as the best quality in the world.
Based at Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park (TeesAMP), Press On’s directors originally envisioned a small, DIY operation to press small amounts of vinyl for their record label, Goosed Records, due to a huge bottleneck in global production capacity.
But instead, they scaled up – taking advantage of the world class facilities at TeesAMP to transform the cavernous factory into an efficient and welcoming paradise for music lovers.
It now boasts four specially engineered pressing machines, a lathe, a laboratory and even a sound mastering studio and rehearsal space.
Press On welcomed the mayor and businesses from across the North East as part of an event organised by the Advanced Manufacturing Forum (AMF) and Middlesbrough Council’s Invest Middlesbrough team.
Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said: “Manufacturing is part of Middlesbrough’s heritage, and we’re very proud of it.
“Press On is a real Middlesbrough success story - the vinyl records it produces are now considered to be among the best quality in the world, and it was fascinating to find out more about their story.
“I want to make sure the council provides the right service to our businesses and encourages collaboration and innovation, and events like this one are a valuable part of that offer.”
Press On Director David Todd said: “We were happy to host the Mayor of Middlesbrough and the AMF at Press On and give businesses from across the region an insight into what we do.
“We’ve grown really quickly – less than 18 months ago our site was just a massive empty warehouse. Now we’re employing 31 staff, producing tens of thousands of records a month and most importantly, helping musicians get their music into the hands of fans.
“But we always need to adapt and innovate, and we’re proud we can do that here in Middlesbrough.”
Middlesbrough Council invited the AMF – which provides the region’s engineering and manufacturing industry with networking, supply chain development and collaboration opportunities - to support the sector and help develop the local supply chain.
Alan Metcalfe, Vice Chair of the AMF, said: “Press On was a fantastic host for one of the first collaboration events we’ve held in Middlesbrough for a long time.
“The AMF is about helping the manufacturing and engineering sector in the North East to face challenges and celebrate successes through collaboration.
“We want our whole region to be successful – including Middlesbrough and the rest of Teesside - and we can do that by working with partner and helping local businesses to connect and share ideas and knowledge.”
TeesAMP is a £22.6m, 11-hectare site located on the edge of Riverside Industrial Park, providing high specification units for advanced manufacturing businesses, developed in partnership with the Tees Valley Combined Authority and private investment.
As well as Press On Vinyl, TeesAMP is also home to successful firms such as Paralloy/Firth Vickers, Durata, Sulzer and The Welding Institute (TWI).