Leicestershire manufacturer aims for growth with new £900,000 etching facility

Mark Davies (IB Construction), Steve Horne (Kocher+Beck) and Tim Lewis (IB Construction)

A Coalville printing and labelling technology specialist is targeting new contracts after completing a £1.4m extension.

Kocher+Beck, which employs 60 people at its Brunel Way site, has used Black Country specialist IB Construction to build a 9,000 sq ft chemical etching facility that gives it additional capacity and a boost in environmental performance.

Boosted by the success of this project, the company has also finalised a £500,000 office refurbishment, including construction of a mezzanine floor, VELUX roof lights, remote controlled blinds, a specialist glazed partition and a dedicated kitchen and canteen.

“Business is brisk and we needed to invest in the extension to ensure we have the right platform to make the most of new opportunities,” said Steve Horne, managing director of Kocher+Beck.

“This involved boosting production capabilities by installing cutting-edge chemical rooms with environmental considerations built in and then we wanted to create a great working environment for our sales team.”

He continued: “We liked IB’s approach during the tender stage and the fact the company was family-owned mirrored our own way of doing business. The Phase 1 extension went really well so it seemed a logical decision to give it Phase 2… it was the right decision.”

IB Construction took just 19 weeks to complete the chemical etching plant.

The Willenhall-based firm worked with Kocher+Beck’s direct suppliers and the complicated challenge of using a raised GRP floor to allow the chemicals used in the process to be taken away safely.

Tim Lewis, contracts manager at IB, was delighted with how it went: “This is a great example of how we can work to strict deadlines and deliver the level of quality and functionality required by the client…even with a lot of challenging elements thrown in.”

He added: “Industrial and commercial is a big opportunity for our business and, so far this year, it’s one of our fastest growing sectors.”

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