Pace Timber Systems Ltd has opened a dedicated wood processing workshop to speed up orders and free up space in its main factory.

The 5,000ft2 facility, adjacent to its Milton Keynes factory, houses three new saws – a Wadkin, an Elcon vertical panel saw and a Sawtec, representing a £100,000 investment.

Phil Key, managing director of the timber frame home manufacturer, said as the company grows it is expanding its resources. The company’s turnover is expected to be up from last year’s £5.2m to £7m in 2002.

He said: “As manufacturing output continues to increase, the additional physical space will enable us to accommodate this without it affecting our ability to deliver quality timber frame packages to the client’s construction timetable.”

Mr Key said the company remains focused on ensuring its organic growth continues in a structured and controllable manner.

&#8220The additional space will enable us to accommodate an increase in output without it affecting our ability to deliver quality timber frame packages to the client’s construction timetable.”

Phil Key, Pace managing director

He said the workshop and extra space would be particularly useful during the next four months which he expects to be “very busy”.

The development follows the launch in April of the company’s dry lining division (plasterboard installation) designed to provide on-site added value to clients.

Pace has also appointed Tim Bye as site operations director to develop a team of site operations managers with responsibility for co-ordinating the company’s contracts – from project uptake to client hand-over. He will also direct the dry lining division.

The team will be central to the quality control aspect of the business, focusing on programming, advising on site co-ordination and build logistics, employing, supervising and managing on-site erection teams and ensuring project completion times are met.