Rhodri Morgan and Catherine Thomas met workers on the new production line

Welsh Assembly First Minister Rhodri Morgan was among hundreds of visitors at the anniversary celebrations at the Corus tinplate works at Trostre at the weekend.

The company threw open the doors of the plant on Saturday and Sunday for guided tours while family entertainment was laid on within the grounds.

The new investment means the plant, which employs nearly 1,000 staff, can up production by 30%.

Unlike many of the other Corus sites in the country Trostre has escaped huge redundancies as the company restructures.

Full production began at Trostre in 1953

The new electrolitical tinning line, opened by Mr Morgan, helps secure the long term future of the plant.

Company spokesman Simon Jenkins explained: "The site is one of the four in Europe that makes up the Corus Packaging Plus business.

"The tinning line will give Trostre the opportunity to manufacture a wider range of products and the capability to increase output by up to 30%.

"Substantial investment in new plant and technology, people, training and research and development, keeps Trostre at the forefront of European tinplate production

"Trostre has remained a leading supplier of high quality light gauge steels supplying over 50 countries worldwide."

Important centre

Mr Morgan was accompanied by new Llanelli AM Catherine Thomas and the managing director of Corus Packaging Plus, Marjan Oudeman.

After speaking to workers who man the new line they visited the museum at Trostre which was also open to the public.

Tinplate produced at the huge Corus site in Trostre is shipped to more than 50 countries

Work started on the plant, which was sited on what was formerly marshland, in 1947.

Llanelli was chosen because of it had long been an important centre of tinplate manufacturing.

There was a ready workforce as a number of the old type of hand mills had or were about to close, leading to prospective unemployment for around 12,000 people.

Production started gradually in 1951 but within two years the plant was operating capacity.

Today, the anticipated annual output is 500,000 tonnes a year.

Most of the hot rolled coil used in the production of tinplate is made nearby at the Corus plant in Port Talbot and is transported to Llanelli on specially designed railway trucks.

Trostre runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.