A South Wales firm is looking to grow its orders book following an expansion.
AB Glass, an architectural aluminium and access control specialist, says the investment will increase its production capacity by 35%.
The Swansea-based company has made a six-figure investment in building a new 3,000 sq ft storage unit that will release 35% more floor space in its production unit, enabling it to increase and to further grow its order book.
The construction of the five-bay storage unit has now been completed. It will allow the business to cope with an increase in demand it says it has experienced as lockdown measures have eased and the uncertainty surrounding Brexit has lessened.
The business works with blue chip private sector clients across the UK, as well as many universities, schools and public sector bodies. In addition to its architectural aluminium services, its access control offering has also experienced a surge in demand as workplaces adjust to post-pandemic safety recommendations as staff return.
It also has a specially trained team with the specific skills needed when working with Passivhaus developments, a type of structure designed with energy-efficiency at its heart. It worked on the first Passivhaus leisure centre in the world and is seeing growing demand for this type of building.
Alan Brayley, managing director of AB Glass and president of Swansea Bay Business Club, said: “We are delighted to have completed a structure that means quite a lot to the business. It frees up capacity in the main production space, which we need because of demand. But we feel it is also somewhat symbolic that we have achieved this despite one of the most challenging 12 months the business has endured.
“Clearly, 2020 threw some severe challenges at us but I am very proud of the resilience we showed in how we quickly adjusted our working practices and worked very hard all year to ensure we weathered the storms. In addition to expanding our premises, we also welcomed a new generation of talent to the business. We now through into 2021 in a bullish frame of mind – and with much-need extra capacity at our disposal.”
