Kitchen manufacturer cooks up major investment

MANUFACTURER Rixonway Kitchens has invested £450,000 on machinery at its Yorkshire factory.

The Dewsbury-based business said the machinery would allow it to improve its efficiency.

The machinery will enable Rixonway to cut and edge its kitchen work tops in a single process, halving the time it has previously taken.

Rixonway’s key market is the affordable and social housing sector and the company operates from a 175,000 sq ft factory in the West Yorkshire town.

The installation has allowed Rixonway to streamline its manufacturing procedures as the edging process is now completed by one machine rather than previously involving two.

Operations director Nick Greenall said: “We manufacture over 12,000 rigid kitchen units a week and we are constantly looking for ways to improve the efficiency of the production process.

“The new system has brought improvements in productivity and energy consumption, as well as lowering transportation and handling requirements for staff, creating a safer working environment.”

The new system was installed by Essetre technicians who travelled from Italy to spend five days with the Rixonway team training them to use the equipment correctly.

Established in 1978, Rixonway Kitchens employs more than 450 people at its Dewsbury site, including 40 designers who operate nationwide.