Etex has officially opened its £170-million-pound expansion of its plasterboard production facility in Bristol, with the company asserting this is its “largest production investment ever and a commitment to UK manufacturing as the industry grows.”
The expansion, which produces plasterboard for the Siniat brand, is described as Etex’ most efficient plasterboard production line in Europe when considering its line size, speed and complexity. The capacity installed now allows Siniat to produce over 98% of its portfolio of boards in the new state-of-the-art facility in the UK.
Furthermore, increasing local production gives Etex “greater flexibility and allows for significant carbon savings by decreasing the need to transport boards from other countries.”
The plant “leverages new technologies” to bring both efficiency and also sustainability to the forefront of operations. The new site is a zero waste to landfill plant and part of the manufacturer’s strategic sustainability roadmap – which, in the UK, includes rainwater harvesting and increasing its product recycled content year-on-year. Beyond this, Etex states that is the first UK manufacturer to have recycled content certified in new products (through SCS certification), with recycled content in UK products ranging from 23% up to 45% in new plasterboards.
John Sinfield, UK & Ireland Country Manager, said: “The new Bristol plant expansion is proof of Etex’ strong footprint in Europe and its commitment to continually investing in innovation. This investment will give our UK customers additional confidence that we are ready for market recovery and able respond to any increases in demand, in-line with wider Governmental drives.
“As a pioneer in lightweight construction, we strive to deliver better products and construction methods. Through a solutions-first approach within our key brands, means we can offer trusted design solutions that are fully tested whenever our customer need them, ultimately making construction time and processes easier, cheaper and more sustainable.”
Bernard Delvaux, CEO at Etex, commented: “Etex is an important player in the construction sector not only here in the UK, but globally. In Europe, we hold important positions for our portfolio of products and solutions; plasterboards, fibre cement, insulation, fire protection and modular construction.
“But at the core of our business is our partnerships with customers. Through our complementary portfolio of brands, we are able to take our relationships with customers beyond simply being a supplier and instead work in true partnership. This is thanks to our solution-first approach, focusing more and more on delivering full solutions and technical expertise to customers, rather than simply supplying individual products.”
Etex operates more than 160 sites across 45 countries and employs 13,500 people worldwide whilst some of its key brands include Siniat, Promat, Reimagin, Superglass, URSA, Eternit, Equitone and Cedral.
With two leading brands under its Building Performance division – Siniat and Promat – the manufacturer is able to provide a range of CCPI verified, fully-tested, standard, performance and specialist plasterboards, including solutions for sound, fire and thermal application systems.
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