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[May 2009]
Hanson to Open £49 million Brick Factory
Hanson is to open a new £49 million brick factory at Measham in Leicestershire, reaffirming its position as the UK’s leading supplier of heavy construction materials. The soft mud brickmaking plant, which will have the capacity to produce 30,000 bricks an hour, has already begun commissioning trials.
David Szymanski, Managing Director of Hanson UK’s building products division, said: “Despite the economic downturn and the subsequent fall in demand for bricks, there remains a pent-up demand for housing. This significant investment in the most modern brick plant in Europe emphasises our commitment to the future of the industry and will ensure we stay ahead of the field when the recovery kicks in”.
The new plant has sustainability and quality at its core. It stands on brown field land, previously a landfill site for factory waste, and features a low energy, low waste production process, which is fully mechanised. It will initially operate on a double shift basis with the potential to step up to round-the-clock working as demand picks up.
“The bricks produced at Measham will be the most sustainable of their kind, and will offer specifiers, stockists and builders guaranteed colour consistency, dimension tolerance and quality,” said David Szymanski.
Over the last 18 months Hanson has closed some of its older, less efficient production plants, opening the way for this latest investment in an automated plant, which employs just 14 people on each production shift.
“The long-term clay reserves at Measham coupled with a highly efficient, low-cost production process puts us in a very strong position both now and into the future,” said Mr Szymanski.
www.heidelbergcement.com/uk/en/hanson/home.htm
ENDS