THE boss of a technology firm is creating jobs after investing more than £200,000 to make an energy saving light control product in the region.

Alex Carter, a commissioning engineer and managing director at Hartlepool’s Durable Technologies, has chosen to keep the Light Harvester in the UK.

Mr Carter has also developed a local supply chain and worked with the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) and the North East Business and Innovation Centre (NEBIC) to complete its first installation at UK Steel Enterprise.

He plans to sell more than 7,000 units this year, with the move creating four jobs.

Mr Carter, who runs the business with wife Lorraine, said: “We had developed the Light Harvester exclusively in the North-East, so ideally wanted to keep the manufacturing local.

“We quickly realised producing overseas didn’t work out any cheaper due to levies, taxes and rising wages, and the logistics issue left us with little flexibility in terms of ramping up production.

“The fact we have been able to find excellent suppliers locally means we have a lot stronger supply chain and one that can meet our growth aspirations.”

Chris Hylton, MAS’ manufacturing advisor, said: “Alex’s story reinforces the notion that the UK is a good place to manufacture.

“We worked with the company to understand the cost implications of producing in-house and also in identifying critical suppliers to the process.

“As part of this, we were able to secure funding to help with the completion of the tooling.”