Crestchic Loadbanks, a global manufacturer of power testing equipment, marked the official opening of its new factory in Burton-upon-Trent in early July.
As well as significantly increasing manufacturing capacity and creating new jobs, the new factory will allow the company to meet growing demand for load testing products.
The opening was attended by over 100 customers, suppliers, and senior staff, who were invited to the opening ceremony, a tour of the Crestchic site, and lunch. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting and speech were carried out by former BBC journalist and Times Radio presenter, John Pienaar, and a plaque was unveiled by Councillor Philip Hudson, the Mayor of East Staffordshire.
Despite the economic pressures of the pandemic and global political events, Crestchic says it has seen strong growth in demand for its products. It explained: “Data centre and energy transition markets are growing rapidly, and demand continues from well-established, traditional sectors, such as critical infrastructure, marine engineering, and extractive industries. The new factory will allow us to respond to the growing demand for sales and rental of load testing equipment in the UK and beyond.”
Executive Chairman, Peter Harris, said: “As well as responding to customer demand, the investment in both our new and existing factories is part of our commitment to continuous improvement. We’re continuing to invest in our people and technology - bringing on board new expertise, and investing in R&D to ensure that Crestchic continues to lead the market.”
Paul Brickman, Commercial director added, “Power resilience is becoming increasingly important across all industries. Load testing is no longer a nice-to-have, but an absolute necessity for any modern business that needs power to operate effectively. We’re undoubtedly seeing this reflected in our order books. The factory will allow us to fulfil demand across all our existing locations, and our new depots in Antwerp and Texas. As we ramp up our production, we hope to open more depots to serve our rapidly growing global market.”
The senior team also thanked everyone involved in delivering the new building – including architects and structural engineers, AJS Structural Design, project manager/quantity surveyor, Amsons-Barlow, main contractor, BFG, electrical contractor SCI, planning advisor, JMI Planning, and everyone at Crestchic who had played a part. The photo shows managing director, Chris Caldwell, leading a tour of the new facilities.
