The company will supply material for conservatories and other construction markets

The company will supply material for conservatories and other construction markets

A UK company has invested Ј8m (E12m) in a new plant to extrude multiwall polycarbonate for use in conservatories and other construction markets. Polyex, a sister company to PVCu profile extruder and window manufacturer Eurocell Building Profiles, has established a 6,500 sq metre factory and warehouse at Alfreton, near Derby.

The company has installed two Omipa extrusion lines and has space for a third line. Production capacity is estimated at 8,000tpa with one of the lines equipped to co-extrude two different colour layers of polycarbonate. The warehouse holds around 400 tonnes of sheet in stock, which is cut to size on two automated machines. The plant presently produces in two thicknesses, 16mm and 25mm and will soon introduce 8mm, 10mm, 32mm and 35mm sizes.

It has already won a supply contract with nearby PVCu manufacturer Synseal and has set up an innovative website offering all customers to ability to order cut shapes or blocks online. Polyex employs 25 staff and is headed by managing director Roger Hartshorn and chairman Mike Bosworth. Hartshorn said: “Both Mike and I set up Polyex to provide the conservatory market with a high quality product at a highly competitive price. We aim to pass on the efficiencies generated by our manufacturing and production experiences.”