Dozens of new jobs due in Solus repair firm move to Wednesbury

Dozens of new jobs are to be created in the Midlands as an accident repair firm relocates and a new fleet of Midland Metro trams will be built in the region.

Kidderminster-based accident repair firm Solus is relocating to Wednesbury. The move is also an expansion, which will create almost 40 new jobs.

Ten jobs will also be created by Spanish manufacturer CAF, building trams for the Metro system. New jobs will be provided at the Metro depot in Potters Lane Wednesbury during 2014 and 2015.

A further 50 jobs in Coventry will also be protected by a £40 million deal to provide up to 25 new trams for the line between Wolverhampton St George's and Birmingham Snow Hill by the end of 2014.

Solus will move from its current base in Whitehouse Road, Kidderminster to larger premises in Wednesbury. Solus, which has 18 sites around the country, hopes to open the new centre at Trident Drive in March.

General manager Steve Hall, who will be in charge at the new site, said the company had outgrown its current base.

A recruitment drive has now been launched for 23 technicians and 16 front-line staff. Jobs are available for panel beaters, body fitters and customer service staff.

Solus, which has its headquarters at park Royal, near Wembley, was founded in 1997 and is now part of the Aviva insurance group.

The Kidderminster centre opened nearly six years ago and there is also a centre in Coventry serving the East Midlands. Meanwhile Spanish firm CAF beat nine others for the trams deal.

Centro spokesman Mark Langford said: "None of the 10 firms who were interested in supplying the trams were British, and none of the bids involved manufacturing the trams in the UK.

"They would have been built abroad, regardless of who we appointed. Centro expects to see ten more CAF jobs set up at our Wednesbury tram depot during 2014/15."

Related links:

• Jobs in the West Midlands