Robertson Timberkit Ltd has shown its confidence in the market with a decision to invest £5m in a new 345,000ft2 factory in Seaham, County Durham. Managing director David Graham-Service said: “It will quadruple our manufacturing capacity and act as a springboard for a major push into the English market where timber frame is less prevalent than in our native Scotland.”
There has been something of a sea change in recent times in attitudes to timber frame amongst developers and specifiers in England, he said.
“Quality timber frame systems have always had significant advantages in terms of thermal and acoustic performance, but the trend to improve productivity in the building industry is also providing significant impetus to timber frame manufacturers,” said Mr Graham-Service.
“Costs and schedules need to be strictly controlled in order to deliver structures on time and within budget to the customer. This increasingly requires component parts of a building to be manufactured off-site, in quality-controlled conditions and delivered on site when they are required.”
<b>Reduced construction times</b>
One of the advantages of timber frame is that it allows builders to programme their work more effectively and to reduce construction times. They are assured of receiving a quality-controlled product that needs no re-working on site, Mr Graham-Service added.
“The other significant trend is environmental. Timber frame systems use renewable and sustainable raw materials that also reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” he said.
Robertson Timberkit’s Seaham factory has been equipped with the most up-to-date automated panel making equipment to ensure the efficient production of high quality timber frame systems.
This month production has started for a variety of clients, with an order towards the end of the year for a £1.1m six-storey apartment contract in Manchester for David McLean Homes – the biggest single contract won by Robertson Timberkit in its 17-year history. The total value of the project is £11.5m.
David McLean Homes commercial manager Paul Smollett said: “We recognise that the speed of construction provided by timber frame will provide us with considerable benefits on a project of this size, and it will also provide our clients with environmentally friendly homes for the future. We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with Robertson Timberkit.”
RTK also has partnerships in place to supply and erect timber frames to Compass, for Travelodges throughout England, and to Persimmon Homes in Scotland, for more than 100 units in Aberdeenshire and 130 units in the central belt. It also has a further development in central Scotland for Lovell Partnership Homes.
<b>Increased production</b>
The new facility will provide a four-fold increase on the company’s existing Elgin-based timber frame production. Projected turnover for RTK is in excess of £40m by the end of 2005.
Robertson Group executive chairman Bill Robertson said: “There was no difficulty in choosing Seaham for a base for this expansion. Our move into north-east England in recent years has been met with significant success by different parts of our group. We are confident of further growth, and that RTK will become a major force in the growing UK timber frame industry.”
