Taylor continues expansion with site purchase

These are more straitened economic times, but the Leeds-based company is still finding new customers and markets.

The fabrication and machining engineers are expanding with the purchase of the historic H.Pontifex site in Hunslet, Leeds.

The site, which sits next to one of the company’s existing factories, creates a further 40,000 sq ft of manufacturing capacity and has been funded with the help of an £800,000 facility from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).

Founded in 1864, as a tinsmiths and sheet metal works in Kirkstall, A.Taylor & Son has grown steadily in recent years, despite the economic crisis.

It operates from three sites employing 140 skilled engineers.

A.Taylor supplies products to a blue chip client base covering a variety of industries, which mainly specialise in the oil and gas industries.

The new premises will become home to the companies expanding machine shop.

The company will install new machine tools and plans to keep growing.

The first phase is an 8,500 sq ft extension which is in the process of being built.

David Minskip, sales director for A.Taylor & Son, said: “It is fantastic to see the long tradition of engineering continuing in this area and the increase in our capacity will only serve to support our position within the sub-contract manufacturing industry.”

He added: “‘I served my apprenticeship 20 years ago at Clayton, Son & Co, a long established Leeds engineer, with sites at both Pepper Road and Moor End, in Hunslet so I know the rich history attached to the area and the many thousands of people who were employed by these companies over the last century.

“For A.Taylor to secure this site only three years after moving into the old Archer Engineering factory makes us extremely proud that engineering will continue here for many years to come.”

Ashley Lund, relationship manager for RBS, said: “Having previously supported A.Taylor with the purchase of their Pepper Road site in 2007 we are delighted to be backing this further expan- sion.

“They are exactly the type of company we are looking to support.

“They are ambitious, a key employer in the area and have seen rapid growth of late.

“We look forward to continue working with them in the future and wish them luck with this expansion.”