80 new jobs as firm expands team
MAITENANCE COMPANY WELCOMES APPLICATIONS
A vehicle maintenance firm is to create 80 jobs in the North East with the expansion of its existing call centre.
Tructyre ATS, which is part of the Euromaster and Michelin groups, is opening a second site on Gateshead’s Team Valley to be its national call handling and administration office.
The company, which provides tyre maintenance and repairs for commercial truck fleets, already employs 30 people in its current Gateshead office at Queen’s Court on Team Valley’s Third Avenue.
The new office will also be on Team Valley.
The jobs announcement is a rare piece of good news amid a flurry of job losses linked to coronavirus. Among the jobs that have been lost are a large number in call centres.
Tructyre ATS managing director Nick Harley said: “Our new customer experience centre will provide an industry-leading experience for the nation’s truck operators. And with the UK economy impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, this will provide a much-needed boost for Gateshead.”
Tructyre ATS was established in 1996 and is now part of the global Michelin group. It has a fleet of tyre technicians who travel to haulage company sites to undertake important maintenance of heavy goods vehicles. It also provides emergency support to truck drivers anywhere in the UK.
The company’s expansion will bring its headcount to around 600, with a move to consolidate its operations from three regional centres in Liverpool, Southampton and Birmingham, to the new centre in Gateshead.
Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, with the North East having the highest level of unemployment and the numbers of people claiming unemployment benefits rising more than 50% since March.
A report released by the Labour party at the start of the week warned that regional inequality risks being deepened as a result of the jobs crisis, with the North East highlighted as one of the areas most at risk because of the high proportion of jobs in the retail and manufacturing sectors.
Tructyre ATS said it “welcomes applications from people working in customer services and looking to be a part of a dynamic team that is helping to keep the UK’s commercial fleets moving.”