Welsh Government investment helps Pontypool firm build for the future

A Pontypool-based building products firm that suffered a major fire a year ago is now embarking on a major expansion initiative that should create 31 new jobs and protect 12 others, thanks to Welsh Government support.

Brick Fabrication Ltd., which makes brick-clad, glass-reinforced plastic chimneys and other pre-fabricated building products for blue chip house builders in the UK, is investing £790,000 in a new production facility in the Torfaen town.
The expansion project is being supported by Welsh Government, with the company opting to build the facility in Pontypool rather than the other site under consideration, in Stoke on Trent.
Edwina Hart, Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, said:

“I am pleased that we have been able to provide Brick Fabrication with assistance for its expansion plans in Pontypool, allowing the company to create 31 new positions over the next three years and safeguard 12 existing jobs here in Wales. The support provided by the Welsh Government has come at a crucial time for the company, especially in light of the fire damage last year at its Pontypool premises.
“The support will enable a significant amount of private sector investment, bringing forward the firm’s expansion plans and maximising the opportunities identified in future house building growth. This initiative provides further evidence that we are a pro-business Government, working closely with companies to create growth and jobs, and also demonstrates the confidence of the private sector here working in tandem with Government.”

The construction sector is one of the Welsh Government’s seven priority growth sectors. The funding that has been provided for the project is in the form of non-repayable finance.
Brick Fabrication, which operates in both Pontypool and Stoke on Trent, has an annual turnover of £3.5 million. With the Welsh Government’s help, it has recently purchased a 15,000-sq.-foot factory and two acres of expansion land close to its existing factory in Pontypool. In the wake of the fire at its premises in Pontypool in July 2014, the company made temporary production arrangements in nearby factories owned by Torfaen County Borough Council and managed to avoid any redundancies.
Company Director John White said:

“The fire was a major event in the 18 years that Brick Fabrication has been in existence. Torfaen council, our local authority, was fantastic in its support and offered us alternative factory space within days, which meant that staff were able to keep production going for the majority of our products and customers.
“Once the dust had settled, we reviewed the future of the business and could have expanded at our Stoke on Trent facility. However, Wales is a fantastic place to do business and the Welsh Government were keen to support the plan to make Pontypool our UK Centre of Excellence for the design and manufacture of pre-fabricated building products for UK house building. The new jobs will take the company total to 100 in the next few years. The new premises and expansion land future-proofs the business and, together with investment in automated machinery and the introduction of lean manufacturing methods, productivity will increase significantly. All this means that Brick Fabrication can look forward to a bright future as one of the UK’s major manufacturers of pre-fabricated building products based in Wales.”