MORE than 90 jobs will be created at a medical supplies firm as part of an expansion plan.

Williams Medical Supplies plans to increase its workforce from the current 178 to 269 during the next three years through a plan which also involves trebling its sales.

The 91 new jobs will be created at the firm's Rhymney base with the help of a £650,000 investment from the Welsh Government.

Williams Medical Supplies, or WMS, was set up in 1986, and is the UK’s leading provider of medical supplies and services to the UK healthcare market.

The expansion is part of the business’ plan to treble sales which will involve a new automated pick and pack facility in the warehouse, to accommodate increased levels of stock and make business processes more efficient. The company is also looking to move into other markets.

WMS currently delivers to more than 10,000 GP surgeries and primary care organisations across the UK.

“At Williams we have very ambitious growth plans and it is exciting to see investment going into our facility in Rhymney to support this," said WMS managing director Hugh Hamer.

"Backing from the Welsh Government in both Williams and the wider community is a key element in the success of this project.”

Economy minister Ken Skates said the funding from the Welsh Government "will secure and create good quality jobs for predominately local people in the Rhymney Valley".

“Williams Medical Supplies is a leading name in its field and this announcement will ensure they remain a prominent employer in the region for years to come," he said.

Lee Waters, deputy economy minister with responsibility for the Valleys Taskforce, said the firm's expansion is "excellent news" and the new jobs "a real show of confidence in the area and its people”.

“This is a great boost to the region and a vital part of the Valleys Taskforce’s work to drive economic growth and investment," he added.