Tanfield reveals US expansion plan
Electric vehicle maker Tanfield has announced plans to set up assembly and repair facilities across 10 US cities on the back of soaring demand among America’s corporate giants.
The North East firm - which is headquartered in Washington, Tyne and Wear, but also has a factory in Kansas – is currently scouting Sacramento and the Bay Area of California for a location for its second US plant.
The factory will create 40 jobs and will assemble, sell and service plug-in trucks branded with Tanfield’s subsidiary Smith Electric Vehicles (SEV).
After winning contracts to supply North American empires such as Pacific Gas and Electric Co, the company now plans to open facilities in 10 urban markets across the US capable of assembling and fixing the trucks.
Recent years have also seen Tanfield land deals to supply vehicles to beverage behemoth Coca-Cola, office supplies firm Staples and Frito-Lay.
Meanwhile, in 2007 it expanded its aerial platform business by acquiring US firm Snorkel for £49.9m and buying a factory in Fresno, California.
Bryan Hansel, chief executive of SEV US Corp, said the plans for new electric vehicles facilities would help bring Smith closer to potential clients.
He said: “[If] you could see it, touch it, see the technology, and you’d also have the confidence that you could service it.
“It opens up an entire class of customers to us.”
Tanfield currently employs around 300 people in the North East.
Earlier this month SEV announced plans to trial fuel cell technology that it believes could double its vehicles’ range and potentially sell trucks to the US military.
The firm will work with German fuel cell experts Proton Power Systems on installing a hydrogen fuel cell in its trucks.
SEV’s North American division was also recently added to the US General Services Administration (GSA) schedule.
The schedule is a list of products approved for purchase by all Federal agencies, and the US military, which spends a combined $1bn every year on GSA-approved vehicles and automotive services.
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