Latest from Russel Roof Tiles

We are proud to announce a ￡18.5m investment in expansion, doubling output at our Russell Roof Tiles roof tile manufacturing Burton site.

We are a leading independent pitched roof tile manufacturer supplying products for top housebuilders and high-profile social housing and commercial projects. We produce thousands of concrete roof tiles and accessories tiles every week used on roofs across the country.

The expansion will help to meet increasing demand for our products to meet the UK's housing needs of 300k new homes every year.

The project is a multi-national co-ordination of supply partners from Sweden, Denmark, Germany and British suppliers and is funded by the business. Our expansion will ultimately create approx. 25-30 skilled and semi-skilled jobs in engineering and maintenance.

Ground works have already started on preparations for the new factory and line. Construction will start towards the end of 2023 with the new facilities completed, and product output starting from mid July 2024. The current site will continue to manufacture whilst the major project takes place.

This is the largest single investment since we were acquired (from Cemex) in 2011 by Crown Global Equity, which manufactures concrete roof tiles in the US and Mexico. Since then, we have invested ￡17.3m across our three sites, continuing to increase efficiencies and capacity to meet demand.

We employ 150 over three sites, two in Burton and one in Lochmaben (Scotland) and are already the leading independent supplier of concrete derivatives for the UK pitched roofing market.

Our Nicolson Way site in Burton was first opened in 1990 and now covers 9-acres. This new investment will deliver more manufacturing lines and a new 1600 sq m building which will house a state-of-the-art curing chamber (only the second of its type in the country) for the concrete tiles.

The new facility, a QUADRIX@ from Kraft Curing Systems GmbH, accelerates the curing process through the controlled addition of heat and humidity. This guarantees a continually uniform environment for curing, with high air volumes at a low flow rate. Not only does this new system improve quality of the concrete roof tiles it is the most sustainable curing method available globally, aligning with our commitment to sustainability.

In January last year, we announced our mission to reach net zero by 2040 and have already been investing in sustainability for over 10 years. We have a CHP unit (generating heat and power) and have reduced our environmental impact already by investing significantly in policies and adopting new technologies as part of our sustainability commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.

We have worked hard to source materials locally and were the first British roof tile manufacturer to have achieved an 'Excellent' rating for responsible sourcing of construction products. We have also signed up to the SME Climate Hub, which is a government initiative aimed at getting SME businesses in the UK on the path to Net Zero. We are pleased to have achieved gold status with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, which is a multi-award-winning initiative that represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains.

Over the past two years, we have invested ￡3.25m at our 11-acre Scottish plant, highlighting our ongoing dedication to offering housebuilders and developers high-quality products and UPVC accessories.

These investments are part of our ongoing capital improvement plan to further enhance quality across the business, by utilising the latest innovations in manufacturing.

Andrew Hayward , Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles said: "This is another major milestone for Russell Roof Tiles, marking the biggest ever single investment for our business. It is the culmination of 18 months of planning and will increase manufacturing efficiencies, using latest innovations to reduce our environmental impact.”

Andrew added: “The latest project is an important part of our long-term growth as well as our sustainability strategy, using the best-in-class equipment to ensure we’re manufacturing products of the highest quality in the most efficient way.”

To mark the announcement, Kate Kniveton Member of Parliament (MP) for Burton and Uttoxeter visited our Burton site with Andrew Hayward.

Commenting, Kate Kniveton said: “It is great to be with Andrew Hayward and the team here at Russell Roof Tiles in Burton. Russell Roof Tiles is a company which has made real progress over recent years, expanding and employing more and more people locally.

“This new investment Russell Roof Tiles is making into their Burton site is fantastic news for our town and the wider economy, bringing more jobs and prospects to our area.

“I want to congratulate Andrew on the success Russell Roof Tiles is having which is enabling it to make this business investment but also for the investment they have already made in Burton, raising thousands of pounds for local charities – this is greatly appreciated, and I know what a big difference they have made.”