Alpha Solway investment will 'drive economy forward'

Alpha Solway secured a contract to provide equipment to NHS Scotland last year

A multi-million pound investment in the south of Scotland has been announced by personal protective equipment (PPE) firm Alpha Solway.

It will see a new factory built in Dumfries and expansion of its operations in Annan.

The company said it would invest more than £33m in the region and create about 300 jobs.

The plans have been backed by South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) with £4.8m in funding support.

The Annan-based company - part of the Globus Group - secured a major contract last year to provide PPE to NHS Scotland.

A new factory should be up and running in Dumfries later this year

It has now unveiled plans which will allow construction work to start on a new £12m facility in Dumfries this month.

It is hoped that can be up and running later this year.

Work on building another new plant - in Annan - should begin before the end of 2021.

The company said it meant it would have recruited more than 1,000 staff in the region since last autumn - making it one of the area's biggest employers.

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Alpha Solway director Steven Binnie said: "We are totally committed to the Scottish economy and the south of Scotland communities, so our aims have so much in common with SOSE.

"It takes real vision and innovative thinking on all sides to develop this kind of public-private partnership which will deliver real long-term benefits for the region and for the NHS workers and others who rely on our products.

"The site will create around 300 sustainable new jobs for the community, driving the local economy forward."

Prof Russel Griggs, who chairs SOSE, said the grant was its biggest to date.

The company said the investment would make it one of the region's biggest employers

"This significant support package demonstrates our commitment to secure the long-term future of manufacturing in the south of Scotland," he said.

"Our vision is to establish the south of Scotland as a centre of opportunity, innovation and growth.

"The establishment of the new manufacturing hub and a centre of excellence for PPE will not only create and sustain many new jobs in the region, but we hope will inspire the south of Scotland to think bigger and more innovatively."

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said the investment would help protect Scotland from any global supply issues.

"This is tremendous news for the south of Scotland economy, creating 300 new jobs and underlining the important role that the manufacture of vital protective equipment can play in our recovery," he said.