Tom Tugendhat, MP for Tonbridge and Malling, has officailly opened H+H’s newly refurbished Borough Green factory which can now produce 20% more blocks.
Aircrete manufacturer H+H held an official opening for its newly refurbished Borough Green factory on 14th September: Tom Tugendhat, MP for Tonbridge and Malling, performed the opening with the Secretary of State for Housing, Local Government and Communities James Brokenshire also visiting the plant during the day to see the new production facility.
The rebuilding of the factory transforms the 30-year-old aircrete plant. When running at capacity, it produces around 20% more volume – enough to build an around 5,000 additional houses per year.
H+H UK Managing Director, Calum Forsyth paid tribute to the teamwork involved in the project, recognising the major contribution of equipment manufacturer Wehrhahn and of project managers VA Consulting. However, he was keen to point out that: “Collaborative working is often the best solution, but the involvement of outside experts in no way diminishes the exceptional work of our own Borough Green team. The commitment and determination to complete this project was beyond extraordinary.”
With the plant expected to be manufacturing aircrete blocks for the next thirty years, it has also been designed with some significant future-proofing. Blocks produced at Borough Green are manufactured from Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA) but given the changes in power generation in the UK it was considered prudent to design the new plant so that increased quantities of sand can be used as and when PFA becomes more difficult to obtain.
Later in the day Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP went on a private tour of the new plant and welcomed H+H’s investment in manufacturing technology to support the drive to build new homes.
Many of H+Hs major merchant and housebuilding customers attended the opening.
Image: H+H Works Manager Robert Wilson (right) explaining some of the finer points of the new factory to Tom Tugendhat, MP for Tonbridge and Malling
