Brick Fabrication Ltd, a manufacturer of prefabricated building products supplying UK house builders, has announced plans that will see the £5m business nearly double in size in the next few years.
The business currently employs 75 people, and the expansion plans will see the Pontypool base increase to over 45,000 sq ft to on the 2.5-acre site, to provide Brickfab with the space required to manufacture a new product range developed by the business during lockdown. The company expects to create a considerable number of new jobs.
Explaining their decision to undertake such an ambitious investment during the pandemic, Nigel Watkins, Managing Director said, “After twenty-five years we have started 2022 with a record order book for all of our products. Despite the last few years being tough for all manufacturing businesses, we took the decision to invest in the business during lock-down. A completely new product range has been developed with significant investment in rigorous testing and accreditation together with the new technologies needed to manufacture these products in volume. It has cost the business a lot of money and we are particularly grateful to both the Welsh Government and Torfaen CBC for their support and assistance. We believe it is money well-spent and is already paying dividends with the biggest forward order book in the company’s history.”
The expansion will also include the creation of a dedicated training centre for the composite technology involved in the manufacture of Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic (GRP) product ranges manufactured by the business that are proving very popular with the new home developers.
Matthew Younger, Director GRP said, “There hasn’t previously been a traditional glass fibre composites manufacturing base in Torfaen. We see this as an industry with a bright future and establishing the training centre will help people develop the skills they need to meet this demand, and learn the latest techniques we have developed as well as those learned and adapted from other industries such as automotive.”
Gareth Beale, Finance Director said, “For the company to bounce back from the last few years in such great shape and to commit to these expansion plans is a testament to all of the hard-working people who have made Brickfab the success it is today. Twenty-five years ago, the business was established to make it easier for house builders to build quickly, safely and at lower cost and the same is true of the new products we make today. As market leaders in many of our products, and with this latest round of awards and a strong financial position, the future looks bright for further expansion at Brickfab.”
Brickfab has recently been awarded the quality standard BS9001 and the environmental standard BS14001, reflecting the investment of solar panels and a review of the company’s future energy needs. With a ‘blue-chip’ customer base of the UK house builders, these quality and environmental standards give customers the confidence that Brickfab will continue to be an essential part of their national supply chain.