Teesworks only tenant replaces chief exec after production delays
Plus: KP respond over Billingham factory strike
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I’ve had a few story tips recently, thank you so much to everybody who’s sent them on. Discretion is always assured. If you have anything you want me to poke my nose into, get in touch at teesside@thelead.uk or via Bluesky.
Leigh
In the previous edition I covered strike action being voted on by GMB union members at KP’s Billingham factory. A small addendum to that story is an official statement from KP in response. They said: “We are aware that a small number of GMB‑represented colleagues at our Teesside site have begun Action Short of Strike.
“We value our Teesside team and the important contribution they make, and we remain committed to working constructively with them and the GMB to reach a resolution. Discussions are ongoing, and we continue to encourage open and constructive dialogue to address the concerns raised.
“In the meantime, we have robust contingency plans in place to minimise any potential disruption and to ensure continuity of supply for our customers.”
If you’re interested in my extra-curricular activities, I’ve started a podcast with my mate, the author Peter Mitchell. He wrote the superb Imperial Nostalgia, in which he covers how and why Britain’s complicated history with its past pervades today (eg Brexit, flags on lampposts etc).
We’re going through Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby-Dick chapter-by-chapter.
If you want to listen to two bald white men learning through taking the piss, go and listen to The Whale Pod. To give you an example of the tone, in episode two (which is released tomorrow) I suggest JFK’s assassination was a whaling expedition.
🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳
SeAH Wind moves current boss to South Korea role as Teesworks site cash position revealed
SeAH Wind, the only tenant so far at the enormous Teesworks site, has replaced its CEO, after admitting a weak financial position due to production delays.
The company, which makes monopiles - offshore foundations for wind turbines - announced Chung Ryu as its new chief executive, jumping from his previous role as chief operating officer at sister company SeAH Steel’s manufacturing factory at Suncheon in South Korea.
SeAH Wind said outgoing CEO Chris Sohn would be taking up a new senior position in South Korea within its steel manufacturing business.
Production began at the Teesside factory in July last year, three years after ground was broken on the site. According to SeAH Wind the 90-acre factory site represents a £400m investment in the UK.
They were awarded a contract to provide monopiles for Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm, which will be the largest offshore windfarm in the world when completed, covering 269 square miles.
However, late last year a spokesperson for the South Korean-owned company told me it had “not delivered a single customer order,” adding that delays to production mean the company has incurred “substantial operating costs” and that it did not expect to reach what it called a “sustainable cash position” until late 2026.
The company became the first tenant at the Teesworks site after a land deal which saw Teesworks Ltd’s private partners given a £90m cash payment in 2022 through a complicated land lease deal on what became the SeAH site. They had paid no money up until that point, and were only liable for a £15m payment connected to the deal which was settled last year.
After the factory was officially opened by King Charles in February the company has been in a number of disputes with the GMB Union and its members. The union achieved official recognition only after a ruling in July from the Central Arbitration Committee, with more than 95 percent of union members voting at that time to strike over a pay dispute.
SeAH said the union’s demands were “not financially viable given [their] current business position”.