Excellence in Galvanizing
South East Galvanizers' new state-of-the-art £5.5 million galvanizing facility in Witham has been given the seal of approval by local MP Priti Patel.
The Member of Parliament for Witham was on hand to unveil a special commemorative plaque at the official opening of the new plant on the Crittall Road Industrial Estate last Friday [9th November].
South East Galvanizers, part of Wedge Group Galvanizing, has been based in Witham since the early 1960s and employs more than 60 people. While the building work on its new plant was carried out over the past year, the company continued to operate as usual from its existing facilities, on the same site.
The old plant will now be dismantled over the coming months.
As well as carrying out the official opening ceremony of the new plant, Mrs Patel joined a number of guests on a guided tour of the facility led by Jeremy Woolridge, Chairman and CEO of Wedge Group Galvanizing, Eastern Regional Director Steve Milnes, and South East Galvanizers’ General Manager David Knight.
She got to see first-hand some of the firm’s specialist equipment, including a 10.5 metre-long galvanizing bath, which provides an increased capacity compared to the previous 9.5 metre-long bath, as well as a raft of environmentally-friendly features, such as photovoltaic panels to generate electricity on-site, and a rainwater collection and harvesting system that will reduce the demand on mains supply.
Pictured with Priti Patel MP are, from left, Jeremy Woolridge Chairman & CEO of Wedge and Steve Milnes Eastern Regional Director at Wedge
Jeremy Woolridge, Chairman and CEO of Wedge Group Galvanizing, commented: “This is a significant day for our company and the culmination of not just 12 months’ hard work in terms of the actual building works, but also many years of planning. Ongoing investment across our 14 UK plants is a key priority in Wedge’s overall growth strategy, and this new plant will enable the team at South East Galvanizers to deliver a high-quality service to their customers throughout the region for years to come.”
David Knight, General Manager of South East Galvanizers, commented: “We’d like to offer special thanks to Peter Burton, Construction Director, and the team at R G Carter (Colchester) Ltd, who we have worked extremely closely with throughout the construction work to ensure the project has had a minimal impact on both our day-to-day operations and the wider community. It is fantastic that after everyone’s hard work and perseverance, the new plant is now up and running.”
Inside view of the new factory