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Craemer invests £25m in second UK production facility
Plastics manufacturer Craemer Group has expanded with the opening of its second plastic injection moulding facility in Telford.
The new facility will produce Craemer’s range of wheelie bins, pallets and its storage and transport containers. The £25m site will also enable new products to be added to Craemer UK’s portfolio including a range of four-wheeled commercial waste bins and pallet boxes, which until recently could only be manufactured at the group’s German headquarters. The company’s expansion will create up to 70 new jobs at the Telford site.
Craemer has invested £25m in a second UK production facility / Picture: Carl Woodall
Steve Poppitt, managing director of Craemer UK, said: “Since the launch of our first Telford plant at Hortonwood in 2006, Craemer UK has grown significantly with turnover surging from five million in 2006 to around £27.8 million in 2018. After expanding the premises to a total of 3.6 hectares in 2013, we had reached our limits and needed to find an area for expansion as close as possible”.
Purchased in 2017, the 5.3-hectare site at Hortonwood West is less than a mile away and gives ample room for further expansion in the future. The new production plant covers about half of the land, consisting of a 6,000-square-metre production and storage hall, plus adjacent technical, office and social area as well as outdoor facilities. Production has started with three injection moulding machines, with more to follow as business develops.
Steve added: “The expansion has already generated over 30 new jobs at Telford as a direct result of Site B development and there will be more by the end of this year. In addition to creating new jobs and to further supporting the local economy, the launch of this second Craemer Telford site also emphasises the Germany-based Craemer Group’s ongoing commitment to its UK manufacturing arm.
“We are confident that the investment in the new Telford facility and in new machinery will further strengthen Craemer’s position in the domestic, European and global markets for many years to come.”
Steve Poppitt, Managing Director of Craemer UK (left) with Frank Bross, Finance and Operations Director / Picture: Carl Woodall
Until recently, Craemer’s first own 1,100 litre wheelie bin (neo4) presented to the market in 2018 could only be manufactured at the German headquarters – due to the size of the machinery required for its production. The new Telford site is also equipped with a 5,500-tonne injection moulding machine and the manufacture of the neo4 has started at Craemer UK now too. The production of Craemer’s first own pallet box launched to the market in 2017 is expected to follow soon.
Craemer Group, specialists in metal forming, plastics processing and tool making, was founded in 1912. Today, the internationally active family company has four production sites in three European countries and employs over 950 staff. In 2018, the group achieved a total operating performance of around 275 million euros.