LORD Digby Jones will be at white goods maker Ebac next week to mark the official opening of the firm's new factory.

The former trade minister and CBI director general will take part in a debate on the future of manufacturing at the launch of Ebac's Norfrost chest freezer range.

Alongside Lord Jones and Ebac managing director Pamela Petty, the debate will feature the new North-East regional director for manufacturer's organisation EEF, Liz Mayes, and Dr Jon Helliwell, director of the Centre for Process Innovation.

Newton Aycliffe-based Ebac bought the Norfrost brand and equipment in 2013, and has set up the new factory, on Heighington Lane, Aycliffe Business Park, to breathe new life into the brand.

The freezers are already available to buy through Argos and Amazon.

Lord Jones will be returning to Ebac for the first time since filming BBC2’s Digby Jones: The New Troubleshooter, in which he worked with Ebac as they looked to establish the new line.

Mrs Petty said: “The event will mark a major milestone in the Ebac Group, as well as in UK manufacturing, with the return to production of a very popular brand of appliance. These are very exciting times for Ebac and it is fantastic that Digby has chosen to come back and help us to celebrate.

“With the return of domestically manufactured chest freezers to the UK and our washing machine production facility set to be up and running soon, we feel it is a very interesting time to have the debate on the future of manufacturing. Here in the UK, we need to be making more things, whether that is high tech or low tech, high volume goods, but it will be interesting to hear what the rest of the panel think.”

Ebac, which has built its reputation on making dehumidifiers and water coolers, also plans to start making washing machines in the coming month - becoming the UK's only maker of the household staple. It is a £7m venture that Ebac hopes will yield more than 100,000 machines and allow it to double its workforce to more than 400 people.