The High Sheriff of Leicestershire visited the Ibstock factory in Leicestershire on 30th March as the factory continues its multi-million pound investment.
Gordon Arthur, who was appointed to the role in May 2015, was given a tour of the factory to see how the £55 million investment is being spent at the site. He was also shown the process used to manufacture a brick before making his own.
Following planning approval in 2015, works began on the new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at its existing site on Leicester Road in Ibstock in late 2015 and it is anticipated to be completed and ready for production to commence in February 2017.
The company’s ability to manufacture an additional 100 million bricks each year at the site, using local clay reserves, will be equivalent to the quantity required to build approximately an extra 15,000 homes each year.
As well as meeting the growing demand for bricks, the extended production facility will generate 54 additional new jobs to supplement the 320-strong Ibstock workforce in the area, helping to provide long-term and sustainable employment opportunities in the region.
Andrew Halstead-Smith, Group Marketing Manager at Ibstock, says: “It has been great to welcome the High Sheriff to the site and showcase our investment in the local area. Our Ibstock site has a 200 year history of brick production and throughout this period the company has continued to invest to ensure the ongoing quality of our market-leading brick products.
“Once complete, the new facility will be the world’s most modern brick factory, using the very latest technologies to optimise quality and reduce energy consumption. It is an exciting development both for Ibstock and the surrounding area, helping to generate new employment, secure existing jobs and enable us to upscale our production to meet the increasing demand for quality, UK-made bricks.”
For more information, visit www.ibstock.com or call 0844 800 4575.
