It all started in April 1948, when Roy Tallent set up a business on the site of a World War II munitions factory, producing fancy goods like lipstick and cigarette cases from unused ammunition made by the famous Aycliffe Angels.
Fast forward 75 years and what we now know as Gestamp Tallent is a global leader in chassis and components manufacturing, for big names like Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Nissan, Volvo, BMW and Volkswagen.
However, despite significant successes through a journey of evolution that still continues well into its eighth decade, subsequent plant managers at Aycliffe’s biggest employer have never lost sight of the company’s heritage.
This pride in what started with the Aycliffe Angels heroic efforts during World War II is most evident in the Tallent name still being used by the business – but that’s not all.
If you visited its seven factories, as well as the 4,000 tonne transfer presses and 5,000 tonne hydroform lines which create metal parts and components for today’s most popular cars, you would find examples of those lipstick, cigarette and powder cases, carefully preserved for posterity.
Source: Aycliffe Today
