New site will see Polyframe create 300 jobs

Polyframe expects to invest more than £1m in new equipment this year to help it cash in on the UK’s economic recovery.

Over the last 22 years, Halifax-based Polyframe has grown to become one of Britain’s biggest manufacturers of PVCu windows and doors. It is about to provide another shot in the arm for West Yorkshire’s economy, as the UK emerges from one of the worst slumps in decades.

During the recession, Polyframe invested in three new factories and 11 trade centres to boost its sales and profile.

Simon Loker, the company’s marketing manager, said yesterday: “We have just acquired a site which is in the next street to our current premises. The volume of windows produced from Halifax will double.

“The company is really going in the right direction. The new factory should be running within the next six months.”

The company has also introduced a new sash line, which includes two horizontal welding machines.

Polyframe grew by more than 130 per cent between 2010 and 2013. In 2011, Polyframe acquired Aspen Windows, from Norwich, and it snapped up Turkington Windows in Northern Ireland last year. A new factory in Mansfield has been established to manufacture composite doors.

A network of trade centres is also being built up across the UK to supply Polyframe products to smaller installers.

Chris Watson, the Polyframe Group’s managing director, said: “As the business has grown, and we have become one of the UK’s leading fabricators of PVCu windows and doors, we have continued to invest in plant and machinery.

“The new sash line will enable us to maintain the quality which our customers expect, and at the same time, manage production as volumes increase.

“As a business we are constantly looking at how we can improve our product and the levels of service we offer.

“Without the significant investment we have made, not only at Halifax, but Norwich, Portadown and Mansfield, we would not be in such a strong position to move forward in 2014”.

Mr Watson said the investment was part of a strategy to secure a wider market share. He added: “There is still a lot of work in the market. People are improving their properties and we are now moving into second generation PVCu.”

Polyframe has created 160 jobs over the last three years, and group turnover now exceeds £40m.

The firm employs around 200 staff in Halifax, and 350 across the group.

“Polyframe sees its employees as an integral part of the business,” said Mr Watson

“Recently, all shop floor employees at Halifax and Norwich completed either NVQ level two or three.”

Gary Smith, the chairman of Calderdale and Kirklees Manufacturing Alliance (CKMA), which has a large number of members in Halifax, said yesterday: “It’s good hearing about companies such as Polyframe investing to ensure they stay at the leading edge.”

Mr Smith said that some of the alliance’s members had reported a strong upturn in orders in recent months.

According to Mr Smith, some CKMA members had struggled to receive payment for their work over the last five years. A number of manufacturers had also been hit by reduced sales, while profit margins had been decimated, he added.

He said: “Most West Yorkshire manufacturers survived the recession, and have also been laying the foundations for growth and prosperity in the new market place we are emerging into.

“The market place has matured, and it expects its suppliers to have become more responsive to customer needs.”

Mr Smith said that CKMA was gearing itself up to ensure that all its members were well placed to grab new business opportunities.

He added: “Members are now buying more locally, which they are all saying is giving unexpected benefits, as their suppliers often tip them off about new business opportunities.

“Stock levels are not too large and delivery times are a lot quicker than the Far East.”

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