Pioneering Lochmaben based pitched roof tile manufacturer, Russell Roof Tiles, is starting 2021 with a strong order book and is unveiling £1.7m capital investment programme for its local tile plant.
Russell Roof Tiles (RRT) is the largest independent manufacturer of concrete derivatives in the UK pitched roofing market and employs 140 staff at its sites in Lochmaben and Burton on Trent.
Work is about to start on the 11-acre site at Lochmaben which will be completed at Easter this year. The works include a major upgrade to its utility plant.
This involves investment in a replacement building that will house a new packing system, including the firm’s first robotic packer. Russell Roof Tiles is also carrying out a full electrical upgrade and introducing mechanical improvements across key machinery. The benefit this will bring is to increase the capacity of this production line to allow RRT to meet the growing demands for its products, and also help secure the efficiency of this line for future years.
This investment follows on from new moulds purchased for the Lochmaben production line back in 2019 and 2020. As well as £70,000 investment in new staff welfare facilities as well an upgrade and modernisation of its aluminium third round ridge manufacturing equipment.
RRT’s dynamic response to Covid-19 has meant that the company has started 2021 with a strong order book, allowing it to make this massive investment. The company was one of the first it its sector to resume manufacturing last year enabling it to meet pend up demand.
Despite ceasing production when the first national lockdown was announced in March 2020, the business was quickly able to restart production at all of its three sites in May. This meant that Russell Roof Tiles has been able to maintain good lead times and fulfil a growing order book, as construction bounced back.
This latest Investment is part of Russell Roof Tiles’ capital improvement plan to further enhance quality across the business, by utilising the latest innovations in manufacturing.
Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles said: “Over the past five years, we have invested significantly in new plant and equipment at all of our three sites to both increase manufacturing efficiencies and reduce our environmental impact.”
The business is continuing with a recruitment drive in Lochmaben and is currently recruiting for 10 additional operatives in Lochmaben – for further information check the website.
Russell Roof Tiles is a leading independent pitched roof tile manufacturer supplying products for the top housebuilders and high-profile social housing and commercial projects. The company produces thousands of tiles every week that are used on roofs across the UK, by premier housebuilders and developers.
