Manufacturer to invest £3m in Belper heat pump plant
Heat pump manufacturer Vaillant is to extend its UK manufacturing facility in Belper, Derbyshire.
The firm will invest £3m to produce its aroTHERM plus heat pumps alongside its range of high efficiency boilers, from 2022, making it one of the only heating appliance manufacturers to produce both high efficiency gas boilers and heat pumps in the UK.
The move will secure existing jobs at the site and also bring the opportunity for headcount to grow by up to 45% as demand for the technology increases in the coming years.
Vaillant currently manufactures around half a million natural gas and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) appliances at the Belper plant for the UK market.
Klaus Jesse, managing director for Vaillant Group UK and Ireland said; “As a leading heating manufacturer, we take our responsibility to support the decarbonisation challenge very seriously. Having been at the forefront of research and development of high efficiency gas appliances as well as heat pumps, Vaillant is also investing heavily in future hydrogen and green gas technology. There will not be one technology which singularly addresses the climate challenge, and it’s important that both the Government and the heating industry recognise and educate the market on the benefits of each technology, based on the needs of the customer and the property.”
Joe Dunn, plant director of Vaillant Industrial UK, added; “This is a huge step forward for Vaillant in the UK. We currently manufacture an extensive range of highly efficient boilers at our award-winning factory in Belper, Derbyshire.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for our existing team to develop our skill sets ready for our product diversification and create new roles for the local area.
“As the demand for renewable heating technologies grows at an unprecedented rate in the UK, the Vaillant manufacturing facility will be well placed to meet the demands of the market, contributing to Government targets for the decarbonisation of heat.”
