Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
What More UK has invested £25 million at its Lancashire manufacturing site in Altham over the past six years.
The funds have been spent on new buildings, new product groups and, most recently, a £13.5 million investment in new state-of-the-art production machines at its 500,000sq ft manufacturing facility.
Garry Ireland, operations director at What More UK, said: “We have the ‘Rolls Royce’ of equipment here. As the biggest UK manufacturer of plastic housewares, it’s important we can deliver the best products in the shortest time. We haven’t quite finished installing all the new machines; there are eight more due to arrive this year. We will have invested £13.5 million in new machinery over the last two years alone.
“We have hybrid machines which are Italian-made, and also German-made machines. It’s safe to say that they are all completely bespoke-made too. After years as a leading manufacturer, through continuous trial and error, we know what we want from our machines. Alongside being more efficient and economical, the new machines are perfectly tailored to our requirements and those of our clients.
“The new additions are fabulous. Not only do they consume 40% less power – meaning a lower carbon footprint and lower running costs – they have a faster injection time and faster cycle time, meaning more products, produced quicker and more efficiently. The new machines have also been very well received by the team. They run quieter and, since installation, productivity has noticeably increased.”
What More UK director Tony Grimshaw OBE added: “Our new machines are versatile and a brilliant investment. Through state-of-the-art equipment we can continue to deliver top quality, affordable products throughout the world. With the increased capacity that these machines provide, it puts the pressure on our sales team … this is the way we like it!”
The housewares company exports products to more than 72 countries and is a member of The Made in Britain Campaign.
Garry Ireland, operations director at What More UK
