Up to 100 jobs will be created through the expansion of a production facility in Preston through the foreign specialist in sustainable structures, Kerakoll Group.
It has acquired 40,000 m2 of land for new facilities, currently in the United Kingdom, which will complement the existing ones in Leyland, Lancashire.
Kerakoll says the new progression will boost its expansion plans in the UK and Northern Europe.
About sixty jobs will be created initially and about forty by the end of the project.
The new plant will take advantage of sustainable technologies and practices, such as photovoltaic panels, which are expected to produce 245 kWh per day, and complex rainwater recycling systems.
In line with its B Corp status, the Kerakoll Group is committed to achieving Very Good or higher in the BREEAM rating, an environmental performance assessment identified worldwide.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2024 and be completed in spring 2026.
Preston will serve as a hub for the production and distribution of the group’s products in the UK and Northern Europe.
This will be the twentieth production of the Kerakoll Group in the world. Other places are Italy, Germany, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, India, France, the United States, Dubai, and Brazil.
The investment in Preston will result in a 30% increase in the group’s workforce in the UK, as well as a 100% increase in production capacity in the country until 2028.
In 2023, the Kerakoll Group achieved a turnover of £40 million in the UK, supported by a team of more than employees.
Carl Gardner has been appointed Managing Director for the United Kingdom and Director for the United Kingdom, the Nordics and the Netherlands.
He will lead Kerakoll’s in the UK, with the organisation in the process of integrating the brands Kerakoll and Tilemaster Adhesives, a ceramic installation and flooring systems company he acquired in 2017.
His appointment is a step towards the implementation of the group’s new International Business Unit, in which Filippo Iacconi, until now Managing Director of the UK, will take on the role of Head of International Marketing.
Carl brings a wealth of experience in leadership positions gained at well-known corporations, including Saint-Gobain Artex, Travel Perkins, and Jeld-Wen.
Marco Zini, CEO of the Kerakoll Group, said: “I am perhaps most proud of the recent achievements of the Kerakoll Group.
“Both the launch of our second production site assignment in Lancashire and the appointment of experienced professional such as Carl Gardner reflect the Kerakoll Group’s unwavering commitment to accelerating its expansion into strategically important regions. I am confident that Carl will have a significant impact on his new role, helping us maintain the momentum of our foreign expansion trajectory. “
Carl Gardner said: “I am very happy to join the Kerakoll Group at a time of significant transformation and growth. Leading a team in the progress of key markets for the group, such as the UK and the Nordics, is an exciting challenge. and one for which I am grateful to have confided in me.