A Dumfriesshire firm has officially unveiled a new £2million upgraded utility plant which will secure jobs for the next two decades.
The investment by Lochmaben company Russell Roof Tiles will enable it to increase output and “futureproofs” the facility.
The firm is the largest independent manufacturer of concrete derivatives in the UK pitched roofing market and employs about 60 staff at its Halleaths base.
The project was started in 2020 but both construction and machinery were delayed due to the impacts of Covid-19.
The new facility uses the latest robotic technology from Vortex Hydra which will both improve production speeds, efficiencies and futureproofs the facility for the next 20 years.
It’s the most substantial update to the site for many years and will ensure continued 24-hour output.
Bruce Laidlaw, the company’s operations director, said: “Working closely with Vortex Hydra, the original machine suppliers, the specification focused on overhauling and upgrading all key machines required to manufacture the roof tiles.
“Part of this was focused on increasing the speed of the production line, and installing robots in the packing system, a first for us.”
With orders placed in 2020, then equipment ready for delivery, the global pandemic hit, and the project timeline was delayed.
The Vortex Hydra team were then impacted by issues in getting the required Italian engineers to site, to start the upgrade, due to restrictions on international travel.
Mr Laidlaw added: “Eventually, towards the end of 2021 when vaccinations allowed travel to recommence, we committed to the installation programme, on a very tight schedule to meet ongoing sales demands.
“With excellent teamwork between Vortex Hydra and local contractors, we completed commissioning in April, and we immediately returned to 24-hour production.
“We have very quickly seen
benefits with much improved efficiencies at the higher speeds, which in turn has helped service the high ongoing demand for our products in our key markets of Scotland and north England.”
Andrew Hayward, managing director at Russell Roof Tiles, said: “These major improvements will allow us to increase the capacity.
Russell Roof Tiles chief executive officer Juan Prestamo officially opened the facility.
