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REGIONAL FACTFILE
Page 69
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The North-East is home to 11.5% of the nation's beef herd, and 12% of Britain's ewe flock so BSE hit
Northumberland and County Durham hard, with foot and mouth hot in pursuit. However, agriculture has survived as an important player in these counties' economies.
Manufacturing also plays an important role. Northumberland has the biggest concentration of pharmaceutical companies in the north of England; household consumer names, such as Procter & Gamble, have factories in the county. K&B Beattie, a Northumberland-based offshore oil and gas industry component manufacturer, supplies parts to 85% of the world's oil rigs, and has the distinction of making the biggest hose reel on the planet! Durham, too, still maintains a strong manufacturing base. Darlington, County Durham's largest town, is home to Cleveland Bridge, which built the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Tyne Bridge. Cummins, the truck engine maker, has an assembly plant in Darlington; ball bearings are also made in the town.
The heaviest industries, though, are in the neighbouring conurbations of Wearside, Tyneside and Teesside. Nissan has its giant car plant in Sunderland and Tyneside's shipbuilding will be rejuvenated by a contract to build sections of the Royal Navy's new generation of aircraft carriers. Teesside, home to the biggest concentration of heavy industry in Britain, produces chemicals and steel on a major scale. The North-East also hosts facilities for 450 foreign firms.