EUROPE’S LEADING MANUFACTURER OF WOOD-BASED PANELS IS TO INVEST £10M IN ITS BUILDING PRODUCTS DIVISION AT ITS UK HEADQUARTERS IN THE NORTH-EAST OF ENGLAND
EGGER UK’s latest investments include a new Tongue & Groove (T&G) panel processing and packaging line with further processing facilities, a lamination line and the development of an on-going site demonstration rig and testing area for its structural flooring products
At a cost of around £5m, the new T&G line will enable EGGER to strengthen its position and commitment within the UK construction industry.
Bob Livesey, commercial director at EGGER UK, explains: “Investment in our new T&G line means we are utilising the very latest technology to boost productivity which also gives us the capacity to further secure supply to the UK market for many years to come.
“This also enables us to lead the way in a challenging market place and reinforces our commitment to our customers.”
EGGER UK is part of the EGGER Group, a family-run company established more than 50 years ago which now boasts 17 production plants across Europe, including two in the UK. It operates three main divisions – EGGER Building Products, Decorative Products and EGGER Retail Products.
“The new T&G investment also involves the installation of a new Peel Clean surfacing facility to bring production of our EGGER Peel Clean Xtra boards in-house,” continues Bob Livesey. “This means we can continue to develop our product portfolio for UK housebuilders at a time where there is a recognised need to build more homes.”
There are also benefits for raw board production at the UK headquarters in Hexham. The new line is designed to process a larger master panel, utilising the full press width and giving added flexibility to produce additional products.
The company has also investment around £6m to replace one of five lamination
lines, with the new facility helping to grow production capabilities of melamine faced boards including EGGER Protect, its market-leading structural flooring product.
This new lamination line will increase output and board quality at a time when the housebuilding market needs to grow considerably to hit Government targets.
“In recent years we’ve seen a change in demand from basic raw P5 flooring to either EGGER Peel Clean or EGGER protect, driven by the needs of housebuilders,” adds Bob Livesey.
“In 2010, the majority of our T&G structural flooring sales were traditional raw P5 boards. Since then the combined sales of EGGER Peel Clean Xtra and EGGER Protect have grown year-on-year, so much so that our T&G boards now make up the majority of sales.
“There’s no doubt that this has been helped by the introduction of our Advanced Structural Flooring System and growth in the UK housebuilding industry.”
The Advanced Structural Flooring System is designed to save time, money and manpower on projects without comprising on quality.
It is based on the EGGER portfolio of structural P5 grade flooring boards – EGGER P5, EGGER Peel Clean Xtra and EGGER Protect – and is suitable for traditional masonry, offsite modular and timber-frame builds.
The boards have enhanced moisture-resistant properties with a precision T&G profile created using diamond-tipped tooling. This strong, tight-fitting joint minimises air gaps preventing water from entering the core of the board.
