Excellence in Galvanizing
East Anglian Galvanizing Ltd is putting safety first after completing a major expansion project.
Yard space at the plant has been extended by almost 3,500 sq metres in a move that increases the footprint of the site by more than a third.
The company, which now employs more than 50 people, has doubled in size since switching to premises at Sawtry, Huntingdon in 2009.
And the project will provide extra capacity and a platform for further growth.
But General Manager Paul Bayford says the primary objective was to enhance health and safety at the site for both staff and customers.
He said: “This was a major project that will have a number of positive implications for the business in future.
“But the driving factor was to ensure safety on site is as good as it can possibly be.
“The number of vehicles using our yard has increased in line with the growth of the business and we now operate a fleet of 11 HGVs.
“Logistically, it had become difficult to load and unload the trucks during production hours and we wanted to take them away from the main building and into a separate, specific area.
“Now there’s far more space and each vehicle has its own parking bay and can be loaded and unloaded at the right times.
“Vehicles and pedestrians are kept away from each other at all times and that helps us to look after staff and customers visiting the site, speeds up collections and ensures the business can continue to operate safely and efficiently.”
Land for the expansion was already owned by Wedge Group Galvanizing Ltd and development work, including the installation of automated gates at both entrances, was also carried out.
The finished project will also have a significant impact on other areas of the business, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the site in June.
He added: “We’ve been growing year on year since we moved to Sawtry from Peterborough.
“We’ve more than doubled in size since then, both in terms of our output and our workforce, but this gives us the capacity for further growth.
“It was a necessity on several levels, but it will also stand us in good stead for the future.”
By Wedge Group Galvanizing Ltd