3 minute read - 5th December 2024
Tobermore to expand operations with £12m investment
Construction product manufacturer Tobermore has announced plans for a £12m expansion—supporting growth in housebuilding and public realm projects across the UK.
To kick start the expansion, the company will invest £4m in new jobs, including the creation of a dedicated technical design team to support its commercial customers. This will be followed by the construction of a new £8m 3,000m² state-of-the-art production facility at its manufacturing site in Tobermore, Northern Ireland. This will be able to produce over one million m² of paving blocks a year, increasing the company’s block paving production by 25%. The facility will be equipped with industry-leading manufacturing equipment that will deliver high quality paving products at speed.
This is the latest investment in a series of expansion projects by Tobermore to support its ambitious growth plans. The company opened its £10m production facility in 2020, expanding block paving production capacity, and its £8.6m manufacturing unit in 2022 to increase production of paving slabs. These two investments have enabled the company to scale up overall block paving production by approximately 25% and slab production by approximately 40% compared to this time five years ago.
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Construction product manufacturer Tobermore has announced plans for a £12m expansion to meet growing demand / Picture: Tobermore
Kathryn Robinson, head of sales at Tobermore, said: “We know the industry is preparing for considerable growth in the construction of new homes and infrastructure, and this investment shows that Tobermore is ready to support our customers across the supply chain as they design, build, and supply the materials for their projects. These plans will ensure that we have the right people, facilities, and equipment in place to meet both the immediate need and an anticipated upsurge in customer demand. It’s an exciting time to be joining Tobermore. We have ambitious growth plans and are making a significant investment to make them happen.”
Over the next few months, the company will be recruiting 34 people. At its headquarters, the design team will be expanded to provide a complete design, project and technical support service for architects, engineers, and groundworkers, as well as housebuilders and local authorities working within private and public sectors. It will also be recruiting 11 new specification managers and 10 new roles within the commercial and business-to-business team. As well as recruiting new staff, the company has made 11 internal promotions.
Laura McGlade, head of people at Tobermore, added: “We value our people and always look to reward their hard work and dedication by promoting internally. We do everything we can to equip our teams with the right resources, expertise, skills, and training to empower them to progress and develop their careers with us.”
Tobermore responded to the sharp increase in customer demand with a production capacity increase. This was achieved by the introduction of additional night shifts in its manufacturing facilities.
“Our customers are facing an incredible challenge to build more homes and commercial projects including public realm, healthcare, and to do this quickly to very high standards,” explained Kathryn. “This investment demonstrates our commitment to supporting our customers. Increasing our production capacity means we will be able to not just meet but exceed anticipated demand, so they can keep on building.”
