Demolition specialist prepares industrial site for expansion

Worsley-based demolition contractor, J Freeley, has completed multiple demolitions for a filtration specialist, paving the way for a multimillion-pound expansion on a Lancashire manufacturing site.

Located in Barnoldswick, the plant is home to Filtrox, an international company specialising in the in-depth filtration of valuable liquids.

Delivered in three phases, the 18-month project began with asbestos removal, followed by the demolition of a warehouse and a large part of the existing factory.

With live plant situated within J Freeley’s working area, the buildings had to be carefully dismantled with scaffolding installed to protect the nearby operational equipment, including filtration tanks. 

Lee Waring, Global Capex Project Manager at Filtrox, said: “This was a highly sensitive project in a very busy industrial site. J Freeley worked around our stoppages.”

Following this, J Freeley was appointed for the third and final phase. This saw the team demolish offices and modular buildings.

Between phases two and three, the contractor also demolished a former NHS clinic located next to the site after it was acquired by Filtrox as part of its expansion plans.

Michael Freeley, Director at J Freeley, said: “Barnoldswick is the largest site in the Filtrox global network, so we were surrounded by live buildings and specialist equipment.

“Stringent management was essential to ensure there was no negative impact on the company’s operations.”

The project forms part of an investment plan which aims to increase the site’s capacity by 50%.

Filtrox is replacing the older buildings with multi-storey buildings, increasing usable floor space.

Production capacity is also set to increase alongside additional converting, packaging and warehousing facilities as well as new offices and laboratories.