Parliamentary Under-Secretary for State for Scotland Kirsty McNeill MP visited Emergency One’s Cumnock base after the firm won a contract with the Iraqi Government.
The UK Government is “so committed to Ayrshire “, according to a Minister during a visit to Cumnock this week.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for State for Scotland Kirsty McNeill MP made the comments on a visit to Emergency One following the firm winning a contract with the Iraqi Government.
Ayrshire Live broke the news last month that the Cumnock-based firm would supply new fire fighting equipment to Iraq in a $31million deal.
Visiting the facility alongside local MP Elaine Stewart, Ms McNeill praised Emergency One for its commitment to excellence.
Speaking to Ayrshire Live, Ms McNeill said: “We are here partly because the UK Government is so committed to Ayrshire which you can measure in the fact we have the growth deal which is over £100million in value. We have got the £20million going into Irvine and the £20million going into Kilmarnock.
“The particular reason we have come to Emergency One is because the UK Government, through our export financing arm was key to getting this incredible deal where 31 vehicles made right here in Cumnock are going to be on the streets of Iraq saving lives this year.
“It is so astonishing to see it first hand – the commitment to manufacturing excellence, to technology, to innovation, to skills right here in Ayrshire. That is going to have an impact, not just across the country, not just across Europe but in Iraq of all places.
“The ability of companies like this right here in Scotland to export all over the world is part of what our brand Scotland efforts are all about.
“It is to do two things: to make sure that more Scottish businesses like this are able to export and get more foreign direct investment into Scotland.”
Promoting economic growth is one of the Scotland Office’s four ministerial priorities.
Founded in 1989, Emergency One has established itself as a trusted name in the firefighting industry and supplies fire and rescue vehicles to more than 90 per cent of the fire and rescue services in the UK.
As part of the deal, 62 Ayrshire-made firefighting MAN TGM vehicles – each capable of carrying up to 6,500 litres of water and 500 litres of foam – will help Iraqi firefighters with the challenges they face especially in the summer when fires can devastate communities.
Emergency One is the largest employer in Cumnock with more than 270 people employed at their Caponacre Industrial Estate home.
Ms McNeill added: “What Emergency One have done is show what is possible if you invest in your people and if you invest in innovation. We are able to get more Scottish businesses into markets right across the world. The UK Government is here to support that.
“It speaks volumes about a company if it is able to keep families, generation after generation, and some of Emergency One’s workers have been here for decades. It speaks volumes about the investment in people and then what they invest in the company and how they can help it grow.
“It is absolutely stunning. My uncle was a fireman so it was quite moving to see these vehicles, things he would have loved to work in. Knowing that people right across the world are going to benefit from the kind of innovation that we can do here in Scotland.”
Commenting, Elaine Stewart, MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock said: “This investment means jobs. It is keeping people in the area because people are migrating from west to east and places like Emergency One are keeping people in the area.
“It’s jobs like this, well paid and good jobs, that keep people in an area. That is what we need.”
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