Vivalda Group has invested £150,000 in automated routing technology, reportedly reconfirming the business’s long-term commitment to UK manufacturing and the growing importance of off-site fabrication within the construction sector.
The commissioning of two Radecal ATC CNC Piranha routers at its Birmingham branch enables the company to fulfill the growing demand for non-flammable architectural panels and boards to be cut to size and prepared for delivery on-site.
Despite Brexit fears in other sectors of UK industry, the Midlands-headquartered company has continued to see demand for its solutions-based provision of architectural façades continue to grow. Over the last financial year, the business saw its income increase by around 10% to £34m.
Chairman and founder of Vivalda, Peter Johnson, said: “Increasingly, architects are specifying the use of hidden fixings on non-flammable facades to improve the aesthetics of their buildings. This, along with the more widespread adoption of just-in-time, offsite fabrication has prompted this investment in technology. Automation is increasingly important within the construction sector, as it reduces delivery times, cuts down on transport costs and also eliminates damage and costly mistakes during the fabrication stage.
“This investment brings our total number of automated CNC routers to six, demonstrating our commitment to our value-add strategy. Our success is based on the ability to provide architects and contractors with complete solutions – delivering pre-cut, fully prepared cladding boards on-site. This sounds simple in theory, but in practice requires a vision, which is backed up by a commitment to technology investment, manufacturing, logistics, planning and skills.”
Vivalda Group was established in 1999 and is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in September of this year. Peter Johnson concluded: “I am convinced the success of the UK building industry must be based on improving our skills, increasing our investment in automation and adopting more efficient supply chain models such as modular construction. Our long-term investment in plant, logistics, premises and technology is testament to that strategy.”
