Editing North West England (section)

===Cheshire===
{{Main|Economy of Cheshire}}
{{See also|Cheshire#Economy and industry}}

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[[File:Stanlow from a distance - geograph.org.uk - 684459.jpg|thumb|right|[[Essar Energy]]'s [[Stanlow Refinery]], the 
UK's second largest refinery after [[Fawley Refinery|Fawley]], looking north-east from [[Wervin]] ]]

[[File:Vauxhall's, Ellesmere Port - geograph.org.uk - 218503.jpg|thumb|left|[[Vauxhall Ellesmere Port|Vauxhall's plant]] in Ellesmere Port exports 88% of its cars, although many of the components are imported, and has made over 5 million since 1962, also making the [[Opel Vectra|Vectra]] from 1995 to 2008; it makes 686 a day (two a minute, 100,000 a year) and the latest model was designed by [[Mark Adams (designer)|Mark Adams]] and Malcolm Ward. Three million Astras have been sold in the UK since 1979, and featured on the [[Top Gear test track]] until 2015; the production is split with the [[Opel Manufacturing Poland]] site at [[Gliwice]] in southern Poland; the [[Opel Corsa|Corsa]] is made at [[Opel Zaragoza]] in north-east Spain, with 3-door versions at [[Opel Eisenach]]; the [[Opel Insignia|Insignia]] is made at [[Opel Rüsselsheim]] ]]
Cheshire is linked with the [[Salt in Cheshire|salt industry]]. [[AstraZeneca]], the fifth largest pharmaceutical company in the world, has a manufacturing site in the north-east of Macclesfield on [[Hurdsfield]] Ind Est (former ICI Pharmaceuticals) off the A523, where it makes Zoladex ([[goserelin]]); it was formerly ICI until June 1993 when it became [[Zeneca]]. [[Vauxhall Motors|Vauxhall]], home of the [[Vauxhall Astra|Astra]], is on a [[RAF Hooton Park|former airfield]] next to the [[M53 motorway|M53]], and [[Stanlow Refinery|Essar Energy]] (former [[Royal Dutch Shell|Shell]], partly in [[Thornton-le-Moors]]) are in [[Ellesmere Port]]. Industrial inspection organisation [[SGS S.A.|SGS]] UK is based on junction 8 of the M53 at Rossmore Business Park. [[Innospec]] (former Octel) is west of the refinery near junction 9 of the M53 ([[A5032 road|A5032]]); Innospec also has a site at Widnes (former Aroma Fine Chemicals) which makes [[Lilestralis]]. [[Vidrala|Encirc Glass]] (former [[Aventas group]]) make glass bottles to the east of the refinery at [[Elton, Cheshire|Elton]]; the [[Shell Technology Centre]] on the southern side of the [[Ellesmere Port to Warrington Line|railway]], off the A5117 and the M56 [[Hapsford]] Interchange on the east side of the refinery, closed in 2014; to the east is the large site of [[Kemira GrowHow|CF Fertilisers]] UK (former Shellstar) who make the Nitram brand of fertiliser.

[[Lex Autolease]], the UK's largest vehicle leasing company, is in the east of Chester, towards [[Hoole]]. [[Ball Corporation|Ball Packaging Europe]] is based on the [[A483 road|A483]] at Chester Business Park, near the A55 junction in [[Eccleston, Cheshire|Eccleston]], which has a main office of [[Marks & Spencer]]; east of M&S, south of the A55 bypass is [[Sira (notified body)|Sira]], which issues [[ATEX directive|ATEX]] product approvals. To the north at [[Dunkirk, Cheshire|Dunkirk]] at the end of the M56 on the [[A5117 road|A5117]], is [[Max Spielmann]] (including the former Klick) in [[Lea-by-Backford]]; further north at [[Capenhurst]], next to the [[Wirral Line|railway]], [[Urenco Group]] have a [[Enriched uranium|uranium enrichment]] plant, partly in [[Ledsham, Cheshire|Ledsham]]. [[Sandbach]] used to be home of [[ERF (lorry manufacturer)|ERF]] and [[Edwin Foden, Sons & Co.|Fodens]] trucks. [[Tata Chemicals Europe]] (former Brunner Mond) next to the [[A530 road|A530]], next to the [[Mid-Cheshire Line|railway]], is partly in [[Lostock Gralam]] just west of [[Northwich]]; there is another main site at [[Winnington]] on the [[A533 road|A533]] north-west of Northwich. [[British Salt]] is in [[Middlewich]]; [[Bisto]] used to be made there by Centura Foods (RHM), but production moved to [[Worksop]] (Nottinghamshire) in 2008. [[Henkel|Henkel UK]] (the consumer adhesive division, maker of [[Pritt]] and [[Sellotape]]) is on the Winsford Ind Estate in the east of [[Winsford]], home of the UK's [[Salt in Cheshire|largest]] [[salt mine]] at [[Meadowbank, Cheshire|Meadowbank]] run by [[Salt Union]], who are owned by [[Compass Minerals]].

[[Mornflake]] is in Crewe on the B5071, [[Focus (DIY)|Focus]] closed in July 2011, and [[Orion Optics]] make telescopes. [[Bentley|Bentley Motors]] (owned by [[Volkswagen]] since 1998) have their [[Bentley Crewe|main plant]] in the west of the town between the [[A530 road|A530]] and A532, next to the railway to Chester. [[Crewe Works]] built the [[InterCity 125|HST]] ([[British Rail Class 43 (HST)|Class 43]]) power cars, and now carries out maintenance for [[Bombardier Transportation|Bombardier]]. [[Unipart]] Rail is on the B5071 next to Crewe railway station. [[Bargain Booze]] is at the A532/A5020 roundabout in the east of the town, and further along the A532 [[Whitby Morrison]] are the world's leading manufacturer of [[ice cream van]]s. Air Products have a main HQ off the [[A534 road|A534]] in central Crewe near the Virgin Trains training academy. [[UK Fuels]] ([[fuel card]]s) are off the A532, north of Crewe railway station.

[[BAE Systems Land & Armaments|BAE Systems Global Combat Systems]] at [[ROF Radway Green|Radway Green]], [[Barthomley]] north of M6 junction 16, south of [[Alsager]] makes small arms ammunition, and [[Freshpack]] make pies next to the A5011 towards the east of the town; [[Twyford Bathrooms]] (owned since 2001 by the Finnish [[Sanitec]]) are off the B5077, but their enormous factory next to the [[Crewe to Derby Line|railway]] closed in early 2011, with production moving overseas. Amec is south of Knutsford at [[Booths Hall]] off the [[A537 road|A537]], now the HQ of [[Amec Foster Wheeler]]; also in the town is [[Edmundson Electrical]]. Between Knutsford and Wilmslow in [[Mobberley]] off the B5085, close to the southern approach of Manchester Airport, is a large site of Harman Technology (known worldwide as [[Ilford Photo]]). [[Four Seasons Health Care]] is in central Wilmslow; north of the town on the [[A538 road|A538]] is a large £60m mass spectrometry research site of the [[Waters Corporation]], built in 2014 on a former research site of [[Ciba-Geigy]] Pharmaceuticals (who formed Novartis in 1996), next to the [[River Bollin]]. [[Pets at Home]] is next to the [[Crewe to Manchester Line|railway]] at [[Handforth]] near [[Wilmslow]] and the Stockport boundary near [[Handforth Dean]] (A34). [[Boalloy Industries]] are on Radnor Park Ind Est in [[West Heath, Cheshire|West Heath]] in west Congleton north of the A534/A34 junction, make [[Semi-trailer|trailer]]s, and pioneered the [[Tautliner]] curtain-sided trailer design in the 1970s. [[Reginox]] UK (kitchen sinks) are in the north of Congleton; Siemens Industry Automation & Drive Technologies UK make [[Adjustable-speed drive|variable-speed drive]]s, exporting 98% of production, on Eaton Bank Trading Est near the [[River Dane]]. [[OK Diner]] is in Macclesfield (previously in Middlewich); [[Tullis Russell]] at [[Bollington]] makes the paper for all [[Great Britain commemorative stamps 2010–19|Royal Mail stamps]], and has done for many years.

[[File:View from Helsby Hill - geograph.org.uk - 250843.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ineos ChlorVinyls at Runcorn in 2006; the [[Chemical industry in the United Kingdom|UK chemicals industry]] is worth £57bn, with 180,000 people in around 3,000 companies]]
[[Ineos]] Fluor (the site was previously owned by [[Imperial Chemical Industries|ICI Chemicals]]) is at Runcorn which produces chlorine and caustic soda from Cheshire salt, piped from [[Lostock Gralam]], south of Northwich; most of the chlorine in the UK comes from this plant; it also makes [[Organofluorine chemistry|hydrofluoroalkane]]s (HFAs) for [[metered-dose inhaler]]s and the anaesthetic [[halothane]]. There is Ineos Chlor and Ineos Vinyls. [[BNFL]] and its subsidiary [[Sellafield Ltd]] (former British Nuclear Group), and [[ABB]] are based in [[Daresbury]] near Runcorn, although most of BNG's operations take place at [[Sellafield]] in Cumbria. Daresbury is also home of the [[EMMA (accelerator)|EMMA]] and [[ALICE (accelerator)|ALICE]] [[FFAG accelerator]]s. [[Diageo]] bottles [[Guinness]] at [[Preston Brook]], between the A56 and [[A533 road|A533]], and nearby [[Saint-Gobain]] UK make Isover insulation. [[Kawneer]] UK (part of [[Alcoa]]) make architectural aluminium systems ([[curtain wall (architecture)|curtain wall]]s) off the [[A533 road|A533]] at [[Astmoor]] in north Runcorn. [[APPH]] (aircraft [[Landing gear|undercarriage]]) is based on the A558 on [[Manor Park (Runcorn)|Manor Park]] in [[Sandymoor]] near [[TALL Security Print]], the UK's leading provider of business cheques; further to the west is [[Yokogawa Electric]] UK. [[Schachihata]] UK ([[Xstamper]] and [[Artline (marker)|Artline]]) are based at Ashville Ind Est on the [[A557 road|A557]] at junction 12 of the M56 next to the Weaver Navigation and the 3,200&nbsp;ft [[Weaver Viaduct]] south of Runcorn towards [[Sutton Weaver]]. [[Croda International|Croda]] Enterprise Technology Group does its important R&D in [[Halebank]], Widnes, south of [[Ditton, Cheshire|Ditton]]. The [[Thermphos International|Thermphos]] factory on the A557 south of Widnes closed in 2013.

[[United Utilities]] is based in the west of Warrington at Lingley Mere Business Park in [[Great Sankey]], next to the St Helens boundary; in Lingley Green to the south on the A57 was the former HQ of [[North West Water]]; to the north, Amazon have a fulfilment centre. Unilever makes ''[[Persil]]'' and ''[[Surf (detergent)|Surf]]'' [[Laundry detergent|washing powders]] next to the [[Warrington Bank Quay railway station|Bank Quay]] railway station; next door between the [[A5061 road|A5061]] and River Mersey is [[PQ Corporation|PQ Silicas]] (former [[Joseph Crosfield]]). [[Cogent Skills]] (the UK's [[Sector Skills Councils|SSC]] for science) is in the south of Warrington off the A5060, on the other side of the [[Ellesmere Port to Warrington Line|railway]] from Bank Quay. [[New Balance]] UK is at Centre Park, off the A5060 in south-west Warrington, with a factory at [[Flimby]], on the Cumbria coast. [[Konftel|Konftel UK]] is at [[Thelwall]]. [[ASICS]] UK (sportswear) is on the Gemini Business Park, off the A574 in [[Burtonwood and Westbrook]] north of Warrington, next to the M62 and a large IKEA and M&S on Gemini Retail Park; next door is [[KYB]] UK, part of the world's largest (Japanese) manufacturer of [[shock absorber]]s; nearby is [[Krauss-Maffei]] UK ([[Injection molding machine|injection moulding machines]]); AlphaBiolabs provide the [[DNA paternity testing]] for ''[[The Jeremy Kyle Show]]'' on Carina Park in [[Westbrook, Cheshire|Westbrook]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 April 2019 |title=Who does Jeremy Kyle DNA testing? |url=https://www.alphabiolabs.co.uk/blog/who-does-jeremy-kyle-dna-testing/ |access-date=19 January 2021 |website=AlphaBiolabs}}</ref>

[[Burtonwood Brewery]] (the HQ of [[Thomas Hardy Burtonwood]], who developed Britain's [[alcopop]] drinks in the 1990s) is on the B5204 in the west of Burtonwood, towards St Helens borough. Birchwood Park has to be the main technical business park in the North West. The Bank of England [[Monetary Policy Committee (United Kingdom)|MPC]]'s Agency for the North West is on [[Birchwood Park]] near the HQ of [[GB Oils]], the UK's leading fuel oil supplier (owned by [[DCC Plc|DCC]]), and the operator of [[Gulf Oil UK|Gulf Oil]] petrol stations in the UK. [[Electricity North West]] (the North West's [[distribution network operator]]) is near by, with [[ESR Technology]], who did work for the [[Philae (spacecraft)|Philae]] space probe and owns the [[National Centre of Tribology]] at Whittle House in Risley, with [[TalkTalk Business]] to the west, near [[International Nuclear Services]] and [[Sellafield Ltd]] at [[Christopher Hinton, Baron Hinton of Bankside|Hinton House]]. [[Terberg Group|Terberg]] Matec UK (Dutch) supply lifts for bin wagons next to M62 junction 11. Also west of the park is [[Nuvia]] UK (part of [[Soletanche Freyssinet]]). [[Betfred]] (having the largest turnover in the region—£13.3bn) is at the western end of Birchwood itself, next to the M6 and [[Birchwood railway station]]. Birchwood was built on the former [[ROF Risley]].