One of the UK’s leading steel door manufacturers in North Staffordshire is moving to a new production facility with a £6 million investment.
Robust UK is currently based in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, but is relocating to new, state-of-the-art facilities – almost double in size – at Lymedale Business Park, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, later this year.
The move comes as the company, which manufactures more than 25,000 door sets every year to customers across the UK, continues to expand.
Robust became part of the Novoferm Group in 2019 and supplies an extensive product range, all designed and manufactured on-site at their current factory in Sutherland Road to both the industrial and commercial sectors.
The firm employs 150 staff but that number is growing as client numbers continue to increase.
It says the investment will build a world-class manufacturing facility in Staffordshire and support its ambitions to grow as a company by 50 per cent by 2030.
Managing Director David Lycett said: “It’s a really exciting time for Robust UK as this is just the start of a major financial investment in our future and our growth plans.
“We have been looking to move to bigger, better facilities for some time, but we wanted to find the perfect location not just to meet our manufacturing needs but the right location for our staff too.”
The company was founded in 1997 and started its journey from a factory in Tean. It then moved to bigger premises in Cheadle as the business grew before moving to the current home in Longton.
A £2 million investment into the site was made in 2018 and allowed the semi-automated production line from facilities in Sweden to be relocated to the UK, significantly increasing production capacity.
David added: “Five years on though, we have grown exponentially and have literally outgrown our current site.
“The new facilities are going to be state-of-the-art and will have enough space so we can continue our exciting growth plans for the future.
“The new facility will be fully furnished with new equipment to ensure there is no loss of production between sites while moving.”
The move is expected to be completed by November this year.