Tata Steel is set to invest £7 million in order to improve productivity and customer service at its Hartlepool. The investment will improve the welding capabilities of two of the company’s Hartlepool mills.

The £7m investment will also include new cranes, handling equipment and storage at both mills.

Ramsay Ross, a director of Tata Steel’s tubes business, said: “This investment will help us to retain our position as a world-leading supplier of pipes and tubes. Investments of this kind help us to build a sustainable future in Hartlepool, which I know will be welcomed by our skilled workforce and the local community.”

The investment is part of the company’s five-year plan to increase the productivity and cost effectiveness of the Hartlepool plants. Commissioning of the new plant and equipment is scheduled for the first six months of 2012.