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Feature www.thefis.org 11 all over the world, they have a family-like culture and all want to see each other succeed. This means everybody gets stuck into projects and despite having numerous departments, they truly operate as one team. He said: “We actively involve teammates in business objectives, events, and exciting marketing activities so they understand how they assist in achieving our objectives. Importantly, we will continue to grow at the new facility as we’ll recruit 50 new apprentices providing young people with a well-rounded understanding of the sector. The outside community sees that Etex is an inclusive company with personality and that it looks after its staff, which makes it an appealing employer”. Etex stated that helping build a better sustainable future is a core focus for the expansion. When asked about this Neil said: “A key feature of the new facility was the inclusion of rainwater harvesting, this will have an immediate and significant impact on the environment and will allow us to reduce our consumption of piped water by reusing the natural water that comes onto the site. The factory has also been designed to ensure it is future-proof, which means we can continually add further elements to improve our sustainability credentials”. Neil concluded “Recent events have exacerbated the materials and skills shortages in the UK construction industry. Doubling the Bristol-based production capacity will make us more self-sufficient and lessen our reliance on imports, which will enable us to service the market more quickly and efficiently with an increased local capacity. Localising our new operator’s scheme and apprenticeships will also allow us to attract new talent to the sector, which will help with the skills shortage over time. www.etexgroup.com Knauf paves the way for future generations It’s an exciting time for Knauf says Ian Stokes, Managing Director of Knauf UK & Ireland as he talks to us about the company’s new plasterboard manufacturing plant in Newport, South Wales, and how it features in the company’s plans for the future. Ian has been with Knauf for 27 years and recently returned to the UK after five years in Copenhagen, managing the Knauf Northern European region. Since re-taking the helm as Managing Director of Knauf UK & Ireland last year, Ian has steered the company through a challenging period while putting plans in place to increase production capacity. Ian said: “Knauf is a family-owned business which means that we always take a long-term view. The future for Knauf is generational so we’re always looking at what we need to do today to put us in good stead for the next 10, 15 or 20 years ahead. “We had been exploring options to increase our production capacity in the UK to give our customers the security that we can supply them with the materials they need for many years to come. It’s important to us that we manufacture locally in our markets and when the opportunity arose to acquire the Newport plant, it was a good fit. “The addition of this third British plant will increase our UK production volume of gypsum-based materials by 20% when it’s fully onstream early next year. Our other plants are located on the east coast so the Newport location on the west coast also gives us a much stronger base to supply South Wales, the Midlands, and the South-West of England. “A key attraction of the new plant for Knauf is that it will have its own on-site recycling facility. Any waste material will be processed on-site and put straight back into production as part of Knauf’s commitment to the circular economy. The plant will also benefit from green power generated by renewable sources, including wind and solar technologies. The climate crisis is probably the single biggest challenge facing businesses today but at Knauf we’re well positioned. We’re putting together our strategy on how we move towards net zero and given the nature of the company I have no doubt that we’ll deliver on that. As a family-owned business, expected to be run by future generations, it is a responsibility that Knauf takes very seriously”. Ian explained that the new plant will manufacture a range of gypsum products. Knauf produces an extensive range of building materials from interior drywall products including high performing plasterboards to products for building exteriors such as Windliner, often used as part of the Knauf ThroughWall system. Ian said: “The products to be manufactured at the new plant can be integrated into fully tested, warrantied Knauf systems. I believe that the evolution of tested solutions and the use of proprietary warrantied systems is set to grow. “As the sector evolves in line with the Building Safety Act, proprietary warrantied systems will become increasingly important - particularly for those responsible for maintaining the golden thread of information for a building. “Another area of growth will be offsite construction. Knauf offers a range of products that meet offsite requirements and the Newport plant will enable us to increase the capacity of that range”. Ian concluded “This investment in manufacturing is just one part of a business strategy that will ensure that Knauf continues to operate successfully and responsibly for generations to come - building for the world we live in”. www.knauf.co.uk Knauf’s new plasterboard manufacturing plant in Newport, SouthWales Ian Stokes, Managing Director at Knauf UK