Polyframe boosts production yet again with second factory expansion

Polyframe has launched into its second major investment programme since becoming part of the Customade Group – this time to expand its 50,000-square foot site in Livingston and boost production of PVCu frames by more than 30 per cent.

Polyframe Livingston has made a £750,000 investment into plant and new machinery to help it satisfy growing market demand and increase production on the site from 1,500 to 2,000 frames a week on a single shift basis. Polyframe Livingston is Scotland’s largest trade fabricator and the biggest fabricator of Veka PVCu frames north of the border.

The move at Livingston swiftly follows the announcement by Polyframe that it had embarked on an ambitious investment into additional production space and new machinery at its Norwich site. Output at Norwich will increase substantially from 4,500 frames a week to 7,000 frames a week.

115 people are currently employed on the Livingston site, with 75 staff working in the factory. The enhanced Livingston site will manufacture the complete range of VEKA PVCu windows and doors.

The factory will be equipped with a number of brand new machines, including a new Stuga ZX 5 sawing and machining centre – the very first of its kind in the UK – a new eight head welder, an SV800 corner cleaner and a reverse butt cleaner.

This state-of-the-art machinery will enable fabrication at Livingston to become fully automated, with the exception of handling and assembly. The developments on the site will also help the business to maintain its consistently high ‘On Time In Full’ record.

Martin Linden, managing director of Polyframe, Livingston, says: “This has been an outstanding year for us and we are very excited to be ramping up our production rates. This venture is particularly notable at a time when many PVCu fabricators are not investing and shrinking back on production. The atmosphere at Livingston is buzzing and we’re all ready to take the next step to reach 2,000 frames a week. Our longer-term goal is to achieve an impressive 4,000 frames a week.

“This investment isn’t just about growth though, it’s about taking us forward in our journey to continuously improve. That’s why we’re dedicated to developing our operational procedures and investing in our people. This investment will be fundamental in helping us to create even better, smarter processes, whilst maintaining our very high manufacturing standards and improving efficiency. Those are critical assets to our customers and what ultimately sets us apart from other fabricators.”

Nick Gibbons, chief operating officer at Customade Group, added: “What a year this has been for the group with this, our second big investment at Polyframe. We’re nailing our colours to the mast and making many industry-shaping developments that will support customer growth and help us to maintain our position as the UK’s biggest fabricator. We’re ambitious and we’re bold and we’re ready to achieve impressive results across all areas of the group.”

Dave Jones, VEKA Group’s managing director, also said: “It’s fantastic to see Polyframe Livingston living up to their ambitions. Having customers who are committed to investment, as we are at VEKA, is tremendous and will be of mutual benefit to both our businesses. On behalf of everyone at VEKA, I’d like to congratulate Martin and all the team at Polyframe on their new growth plans, I’m sure they will be a great success.”

Every product fabricated at the Livingston site is fully traceable from the moment manufacture begins until delivery of the finished product to the customer. Polyframe Livingston has also been running an extensive training and educational scheme to develop people. In the latest round, 25 employees are set to embark on a specialist NVQ programme.

Polyframe is the UK’s leading fabricator of PVCu windows, doors and conservatories and now offers five PVCu systems from Rehau, VEKA, Halo, Eurocell and Duraflex. Polyframe brings an unrivalled choice of systems from one established source and delivers first class support to help customers achieve greater efficiencies and enhance their businesses.

Polyframe operates nationally and has four PVCu production sites in Norwich (fabricating Rehau), Halifax (fabricating Halo and Eurocell), Gloucestershire (fabricating Duraflex) and Livingston (fabricating VEKA) which will collectively fabricate more than 13,000 frames a week when the expansion is completed at Livingston.

Since its merger with Polyframe, the enlarged, full-service Customade Group is now the biggest fabricator in the UK with revenues of more than £100 million.

The group brings together an enviable range of products and some industry-leading brands, which include Polyframe (PVCu), REAL Aluminium (aluminium), Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions (glazed roofs), Virtuoso (composite doors and PVCu panels), Hourglass (sealed glass units), and Fineline Aluminium (specialist glazing).

Customade Group is a Main Event Sponsor at the G17 awards, which will be held at the London Hilton on 17 November.