Tarmac invests in Bolton block facility

Tarmac Building Products, a division of Lafarge Tarmac, is investing a six-figure sum in its Bolton block manufacturing plant to help meet growing demand from the local building industry.
The Bolton plant, located in Little Lever, was originally opened in the 1940s with a view to supporting the region’s post-war construction industry.

Over the last 12 months the site has renewed over 6,000 of its steel pallets, which are used in the formation of the blocks and their transportation through the process. The company has also purchased two new moulds to help produce consistently uniform blocks for its Topcrete Standard and Hemelite Lightweight product lines, which are available in a variety of formats and are suitable for both above and below-ground walls.

Behind-the-scenes, targeted maintenance has also enabled the plant to improve its reliability, resulting in a 35% increase in production output.

Site manager, Peter Eastham says: “Our Bolton site has been an integral part of the local building community since the 1940s. Over the last few years the plant’s ageing infrastructure has hampered our production capabilities; yet thanks to the recent investment we are now enjoying our most efficient period of block manufacturing to date.

“We have also ensured our blocks range is manufactured from high-quality, raw material which has been sustainably sourced from within the region. We hope this will not only show our reciprocal support for the local building industry, but will also keep the plant’s carbon footprint to an absolute minimum.”