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Works starts on £140m Etex factory expansion
Construction work has begun on the £140m expansion of Etex Group’s Siniat plasterboard facility in Bristol.
Work on the expansion project officially began on 31 March with a breaking ground ceremony, where children from a local school also buried a time capsule.
Due to begin operations in 2023, the facility will double Etex’s Bristol-based plasterboard production capacity, which will help to meet the high demand for quality housing materials, whilst also creating 50 new jobs and encouraging more young people to enter the manufacturing sector through the company’s Operator Apprenticeship Scheme.
Construction work has begun on the £140m expansion of Etex’s plasterboard factory in Bristol – the investment will double production capacity / Picture: Etex Group
The state-of-the-art expansion will have a core focus on sustainability, utilising a rainwater harvesting system, installation points for solar PV and electric car charging stations, with the end ambition of a fully electric forklift fleet. The extra space will also support post-consumer gypsum recycling, helping Etex’s Siniat brand in achieving 30% post-consumer gypsum in its plasterboard by 2025.
Etex awarded the contract for the expansion of its Bristol plasterboard facility to building and civil engineering business McLaughlin & Harvey.
Neil Shaw, UK country manager at Etex, said: “McLaughlin & Harvey excelled at all stages of our procurement process and fought off strong competition from other suppliers whilst facing the considerable uncertainty caused by Covid-19. Since the contract was appointed, the contractor has continued to demonstrate its commitment and value as a supply chain partner for this project.
“An investment of this size is a strong statement of support for Bristol, but also the UK construction market, its growth projections and growth ambitions of Etex’s UK Building Performance Division. Investing in this new facility will strengthen our ability to develop superior building material systems for our UK customers, helping to create high-performing, sustainable buildings that meet the needs of the people who use them, whilst also boosting the local economy.”