Ascott, officially opened its new facility this week in the presence of Tamworth Mayor, Councillor Peter Thurgood.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by a small gathering of Ascott distributors from Japan, China, the US, India and Spain.

Chairman Chris Gates said: “We’ve been determined to build a world-class facility to not only manufacture our exceptional corrosion test chambers but to entertain our world-class distributors.

“We’re proud of the fact that we’re manufacturing here in Tamworth and that we’re employing Tamworth people, creating quality jobs and exporting to the world.”

Cllr Thurgood talked about the Midlands’ rich automotive heritage and paid tribute to Ascott’s contribution to the manufacturing economy.

He added: “I’m very pleased to be able to congratulate such a successful business here in Tamworth and open what is undoubtedly a world-class factory. I’m confident that further success will come Ascott’s way.”

A reception at Westminster celebrated the launch of the 2018 Parliamentary Report, in which the UK’s leading manufacturers share best practice and routes to business success.

Adrian Wain, Ascott’s Managing Director, said: “It was a huge honour to be asked to contribute to the 2018 Parliamentary Report alongside such illustrious British manufacturers.

“To be able to share our 29 years of expertise in business and our export strategy with other companies is testament to Ascott’s continued success in what is a difficult market.

“The expansion of our Tamworth factory means we can increase our output to meet the needs of our automotive and aerospace customers across the UK and abroad.

“We’re proud to be a truly British manufacturer. We make everything here on site for our award-winning test chambers which we supply to some of the biggest manufacturers in the world, and we continue to fly the flag for British manufacturing on the world stage.”