Steel door manufacturer Robust UK has completed its move to a new £6 million production facility.
The company has relocated to Lymedale Business Park in Newcastle-under-Lyme, which is more than double the size of its previous premises in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.
A £4 million investment into new machinery will increase capacity, reduce lead times and provide smoother fabrication and precision.
And, as a result of the move, the firm’s custom-built powder coating line is now one of the largest in the UK.
Robust UK, which is part of the Novoferm Group, has ambitious plans for the new facility with a target to grow by 50 per cent by 2030 and beyond.
Commercial Director Paul Williams said: “From humble beginnings from our first site in Tean, we have grown exponentially.
“We are proud to operate in Staffordshire and it was vitally important to us that Robust UK’s new home remained in the county.
“We needed to find the perfect location not just to meet our specific manufacturing needs but the right site for our staff too. Lymedale Business Park is just that. It’s in a great position with bigger, better, fantastic facilities which will ultimately benefit our customers.”
He added: “The factory move is just the start of a very exciting time for Robust and heralds the beginning of a major financial investment by Novoferm in the company’s future-growth plans.
“Times are difficult for UK manufacturing so to be able to invest over £6 million in our future and celebrate our success is something all of us at Robust are very proud of.”
The door manufacturer was founded in 1999 and supplies an extensive range of custom built-to-order products including fire and security doors, personnel doors, and glazed and louvered options.
The firm employs over 150 staff and manufactures many thousands of door sets every year to customers across the UK.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to mark the site’s official opening, attended by a number of industry guests including the Novoferm Chief Executive Rainer Schackmann, Tony Doba, Director/Senior Managing Executive Officer and Kaz Tanaka, General Manager at Sanwa Holdings Corporation, Novoferm’s parent company.
