3 minute read - 31st May 2023
Russell Roof Tiles to make £18.5m factory investment
Roof tile manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles (RRT) is investing £18.5m in a factory expansion, doubling output at its Burton site. The expansion will help RRT meet increasing demand for its products, delivering on the UK’s housing needs of 300,000 new homes every year.
The expansion project is a multi-national co-ordination of supply partners from Sweden, Denmark, Germany and British suppliers and is funded by the business. The expansion will create around 25-30 skilled and semi-skilled jobs in engineering and maintenance.
Ground works have already started on preparations for the new factory and line. Construction will start towards the end of 2023 with the new facilities completed, and product output starting, from mid-July 2024. The current site will continue to manufacture whilst the project takes place.
Russell Roof Tiles is to make an £18.5m factory investment to double output at its Burton facility / Picture: Russell Roof Tiles
This is the largest single investment since the firm was acquired (from Cemex) in 2011 by Crown Global Equity, which manufactures concrete roof tiles in the US and Mexico. Since then, the UK company has seen £17.3m invested in its three sites, continuing to increase efficiencies and capacity to meet demand. The firm employs 150 people over the three sites, two in Burton and one in Lochmaben (Scotland).
The site in Burton was first opened in 1990 and now covers 9-acres. This new investment will deliver more manufacturing lines and a new 1,600 sq m building which will house a state-of-the-art curing chamber (only the second of its type in the country) for the concrete tiles.
In January last year, the company announced its mission to reach net zero by 2040 and has already been investing in sustainability for over 10 years. The company has a CHP unit (generating its own heat and power) and has reduced its environmental impact already by investing significantly in policies and adopting new technologies as part of its sustainability commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
It sources materials locally and was the first British roof tile manufacturer to have achieved an “Excellent” rating for responsible supplier sourcing. RRT is signed up to the SME Climate Hub, which is a government initiative aimed at getting SME businesses in the UK on the path to net zero. It has also achieved gold status with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, an initiative that represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains.
Over the past two years, Russell Roof Tiles has also invested £3.25m at its 11-acre Scottish plant.
Andrew Hayward, managing director at Russell Roof Tiles, said: “This is a major milestone for Russell Roof Tiles, marking the biggest ever single investment for our business. It is the culmination of 18 months of planning and will increase manufacturing efficiencies, using the latest innovations to reduce our environmental impact. The latest project is an important part of our long-term growth as well as our sustainability strategy, using the best-in-class equipment to ensure we’re manufacturing products of the highest quality in the most efficient way.”
RRT is an independent pitched roof tile manufacturer supplying products for housebuilders and high-profile social housing and commercial projects. The company produces thousands of concrete roof tiles and accessories every week used on roofs across the country.