Tata Steel to invest £800million in Welsh plants

First minister of Wales Carwyn Jones announced the company's plans after meeting Tata's vice chairman Balasubramanian Muthuraman at a trade mission in Mumbai last week. The pair were said to have discussed the firm's forward investment strategy for Wales, which is where the company makes hot rolled, cold rolled and metallic coated strip steels for the likes of BMW Mini. "Muthuraman explained to me that Tata Steel plans to invest up to £800million over the next five years in their Welsh facilities," said Jones. "This substantial investment will be used to improve production, product mix, quality and product range at their plants in Wales." Jones continued: "This is excellent news for our communities and a massive vote of confidence in Wales. A first class workforce, strong industrial relations and a mutually supportive relationship with the Welsh Government have all played a part." Muthuraman was also said to have paid tribute to the quality of the workforce available in Wales and maintained that Port Talbot was one of the best sites in Europe for steelmaking.