With an initial workforce of six specialist staff, Econ Scotland plans to make further new appointments over the coming months.

The new venture represents a £1.3m investment by Econ Engineering and will be based out of a new purpose-built service hub in Alloa from where the team will service winter maintenance and road repair vehicles for councils and contractors.

A fleet of 117 Econ winter maintenance vehicles has been deployed on a hire basis to 14 Scottish councils and two major trunk road contractors this autumn in preparation for the winter weather conditions ahead. Econ’s new Scottish operation will ensure its team of skilled mobile engineers are on hand to service and repair vehicles with minimum downtime.

Econ operations director Jonathan Lupton said: “We are firmly committed to Scotland, which already accounts for over 30 per cent of Econ’s turnover, and with the launch of our Alloa operation we will be able to provide even better service levels and rapid turnaround times for our Scottish customers.

“This £1.3m investment in the new business and our state-of-the-art depot is a huge deal for us as a family-owned firm and signals the importance of Scotland to us as a business.”

Econ Engineering employs 240 people at its manufacturing base in Ripon, North Yorkshire, where it produces winter maintenance and road mending vehicles specifically designed to combat ice, snow and potholes on British roads.

The company invests heavily in R&D and has developed high-tech on-board solutions for its vehicles that maximise safety and minimise the impact of gritting and other snow and ice treatments on the environment.

“We have worked with Scottish authorities and contractors for almost as long as we have been in business and can count numerous councils, from Edinburgh to Orkney, among our customers,” added Mr Lupton.

“With our Econ Scotland service hub we will not only be helping to ensure that Scotland’s roads are kept clear and safe during the winter but over the coming months we will also be creating new jobs and making a positive impact on the local economy as we scale up for growth.”