28 August 2008
James Jones & Sons Ltd. doubles capacity with £1m investment
James Jones & Sons Ltd's Timber Systems Division has completed the final commissioning of a £1m web room at the JJI-Joist manufacturing plant in Forres, Scotland.
This means that the only British-owned I-Joist manufacturer in the UK, supplying the country's only FSC certified, BRE BREEAM and Eco Homes accredited I-Joists, has now doubled production capacity.
The £1m web room is the latest of a series of investments by the company. It is a bespoke system unique to James Jones, purchased from Globe Machine Manufacturing Company in Tacoma, USA. It consists of a booksaw from Biesse Group UK Ltd integrated with a Globe profiling line, with a high speed, fully automated capacity to produce 12 million linear metres of JJI-Joist web stock on a single shift basis.
Announcing the completion of the project, Brian Robertson, General Manager of James Jones Timber Systems Division stated:
"This investment demonstrates our commitment to the UK's engineered wood sector and recognises the importance of engineered timber to sustainable construction. It completes the first phase of a major investment programme which will allow us to capitalize on the increasing specification of JJI-Joists in floors, walls and roofs. It will also allow us to benefit from recent changes in the I-Joist supplier market and positions us strategically for the upturn when it occurs."
Acknowledging that the market is currently tough, Brian Robertson continued:
"The market is currently depressed, but our Design Office remains extremely busy working on some major public and private infrastructure projects. This additional web capacity provides real flexibility to meet continuing demand."
