Last Friday, March 10, saw IKO host a ‘Spade in the Ground’ event to mark the start of construction of its 470,000ft² PIR insulation factory at the Alconbury Weald development in Cambridgeshire.
Construction of the new factory represents £30m of investment from the UK manufacturer of flat roofing and insulation solutions. The majority of products manufactured at the plant will be sold to the UK market through merchants or as part of a flat roof system.
Tim Leathes, of commercial developer Urban&Civic, commented: “IKO is a great addition to the growing community of Alconbury Weald, and we are pleased this incredible location can provide their first UK insulation manufacturing base. We will continue to work with the IKO team to support their commitment to bringing low carbon construction materials into the UK market. This ground-breaking ceremony marks the second largest footprint-building within the Alconbury Weald Campus.”
When fully operational, the Alconbury plant will create up to 160 jobs in the local area and produce insulation for around 40,000 homes a year in the UK. By manufacturing the insulation boards in the UK, the factory will also help reduce the environmental impact and cost of importing materials from abroad.
Andy Williamson, IKO UK group managing director, added: “I’m delighted to mark the start of construction of the new IKO enertherm insulation factory with an event which involves key members of the local community. The development of this plant is a great example of UK manufacturing.”
“IKO has achieved the highest standards for environmental management (ISO 14001) and BES 6001 for responsible sourcing of construction products on three of our existing UK factories. The new factory will operate to these standards too, an excellent example of how the construction industry is taking a lead on environmentally-friendly manufacturing.”
Construction of the factory is due to be completed in September 2017 and its official opening is planned for March 2018.
