Polyframe has announced plans to expand its 50,000ft2 site in Livingston and boost production of PVCu frames by more than 30%. It is said to be the second major investment since becoming part of the Customade Group.
Polyframe Livingston has reportedly made a £750,000 investment into plant and new machinery to help it satisfy growing market demand and increase production on the site from 1,500 to 2,000 frames a week on a single shift basis. Polyframe Livingston is said to be Scotland’s largest trade fabricator and the biggest fabricator of Veka PVC-U frames north of the border.
The move at Livingston follows the announcement by Polyframe for more space and new machinery at its Norwich site, where output will increase from 4,500 frames a week to 7,000 frames a week.
115 people are currently employed on the Livingston site, with 75 staff working in the factory. The enhanced Livingston site will manufacture the complete range of Veka PVC-U windows and doors.
The factory will be equipped with a number of brand new machines, including a new Stuga ZX 5 sawing and machining centre – said to be the very first of its kind in the UK – a new eight head welder, an SV800 corner cleaner and a reverse butt cleaner. According to Polyframe, this machinery will enable fabrication at Livingston to become fully automated, with the exception of handling and assembly. The developments on the site will also help the business to maintain its consistently high ‘On Time In Full’ record.
Martin Linden, managing director of Polyframe, Livingston, said: “This has been an outstanding year for us and we are very excited to be ramping up our production rates. This venture is particularly notable at a time when many PVCU fabricators are not investing and shrinking back on production. The atmosphere at Livingston is buzzing and we’re all ready to take the next step to reach 2,000 frames a week. Our longer-term goal is to achieve an impressive 4,000 frames a week.
“This investment isn’t just about growth though, it’s about taking us forward in our journey to continuously improve. That’s why we’re dedicated to developing our operational procedures and investing in our people. This investment will be fundamental in helping us to create even better, smarter processes, whilst maintaining our very high manufacturing standards and improving efficiency. Those are critical assets to our customers and what ultimately sets us apart from other fabricators.”
Polyframe operates nationally and has four PVC-U production sites in Norwich (fabricating Rehau), Halifax (fabricating Halo and Eurocell), Gloucestershire (fabricating Duraflex) and Livingston (fabricating Veka) which will collectively fabricate more than 13,000 frames a week when the expansion is completed at Livingston.
