Glass manufacturer, TuffX, has applied for planning permission to increase its Knowsley premises by a further 30,000ft2 in the latest stage of its extensive, long-term expansion plans. Combined with its existing 80,000ft2 facility, the proposed addition will bring the total factory area to a substantial 110,000ft2.
The move, made in response to continuing high demand for TuffX’s products, follows the addition of an extra 10,000ft2 of factory space earlier this year, allowing the company to ramp-up production of its increasingly popular Infinity range of rooflights and walk-on glass units.
Further investment to ‘future-proof’ the business comes in the form of new machinery including a third cutting line, a fourth glass furnace, a second screen printing machine and a third insulated glass (IG) line.
This comes after the purchase of a new Bovone SLE machine, made earlier this year, as well as recent investment in a state-of-the-art Glaston RC Series furnace and Bottero cutting line, as part of TuffX’s ongoing commitment to increase both throughput and efficiency.
Managing director, Graham Price, said: “We’re making this latest investment in our premises, which we hope will be completed by Autumn 2022, to keep up with the continuing demand for both our processed glass products and our popular Infinity range. This, combined with our further investment in machinery, will allow us to continue offering TuffX customers the efficient, high-quality and reliable service they know, expect and deserve, despite the challenging market conditions the industry is currently facing.”
With a consistent track-record of investment in recent years, the new developments form the latest part of the leading toughened glass specialist’s long-term plan for growth. As well as factory expansion and machinery purchases, this has included the recruitment of more staff and the addition of three new 13-tonne Mercedes trucks to the TuffX fleet, bringing the total number of TuffX vehicles on the road to 34.
