Celotex says upgrading is ahead of schedule—to meet rising demand

By Liz White, UT staffHadleigh, UK-A multi-million pound investment programme by insulation board manufacturer Celotex Ltd to set up a new production line at its Hadleigh, UK, headquarters, is ahead of scheduleIn April 2004, Celotex opened a 4500-m2 manufacturing and warehousing facility at Hadleigh. Its second production line is now in the final stages of being commissioned - ahead of the target date. Celotex is also investing in further storage capacity and a new packaging line. Celotex said its current investment aims to maintain the advantage it has achieved with its slimline rigid polyisocyanurate (PiR) insulation panels. These products, Celotex tuff-R Zero and double-R-"have enjoyed unprecedented sales growth" since the UK's 2002 revisions to its Building Regulations Part L, a statement from Celotex said. The panels offer a low-impact option in answer to more demanding minimum U values, the firm added.The current investment programme aims to maintain this advantage and allow the group to be prepared for additional significant market growth. Such growth is expected to follow further revisions to the regulations in 2005/6, coupled with simultaneous implementation of the European 'Energy Performance of Buildings' Directive.The new line, "puts us in an excellent position to fully satisfy our customers' needs as the build up to the Part L revisions and energy directive gathers pace throughout 2005," said Celotex marketing director Richard Crisp. "Customers and manufacturers were all surprised by the huge impact of the 2002 Part L revisions, with demand initially outstripping industry capacity. The effects of the next changes are likely to be equally significant, but Celotex has the manufacturing capacity to meet them head on this time," Crisp commented.The picture shows eco-friendly Haddon Lake House on the Isle of Wight, which uses Celotex tuff-R Zero GA3000Z multi-purpose insulations boards. "