Manufacturing firm to ‘go green’ with grant funding

MANUFACTURING firm Naylor Industries is ploughing cash into a project which it says will boost sales, create jobs and reduce the company’s carbon footprint.

Naylor Industries, which has its head office in Barnsley, primarily manufactures products for the construction industry, and employs more than 220 people in the region. Established in 1890, the firm has five factories in South and West Yorkshire, Fife and the West Midlands.

The Clay division of Naylor’s drainage subsidiary has now been given grant funding of almost £650,000 from the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, towards a £2.5m project to increase capacity and reduce energy consumption in its Cawthorne factory.

Naylor’s finance director Andrew Trippitt said: “We are thrilled that this grant funding from the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership will enable us to progress our ambitious plans to grow internationally whilst simultaneously creating a more sustainable business for the future.

“Over recent years, we have made great progress in developing export sales of our specialist pipe systems for the chemical drainage and trenchless technology sectors.

“At the same time, capacity constraints and rising energy costs have posed a threat to future growth. This project will allow us to expand our international sales whilst allowing careful control of energy consumption. 

“The project plan is all about enabling us to develop and grow our export business in a sustainable manner whilst creating employment opportunities in the Sheffield City Region.”

Naylor’s products include clay and plastic pipes as well as decorative gardenware. The company has sold onto every continent and into 49 different countries. The firm is seeking to expand its export markets and has identified opportunities particularly in markets that are experiencing dramatic economic growth, such as Indonesia and the Philippines.

The history of the Naylor Group dates back to 1890, when the great-grandfather of current chief executive Edward Naylor, a civil engineer, built a railway viaduct in Denby Dale, West Yorkshire.  The discovery of a rich seam of clay led to the foundation of a clay brick and pipe factory, which has evolved into a modern-day business with a group turnover approaching £50m.

The £2.5m investment project aims to “dramatically reduce” the company’s carbon footprint. Smart utility metering will allow the production team to optimise and control energy consumption; an in-house plastic reprocessing plant will allow the firm to reuse its own waste on site and energy-efficient lighting will be installed. At the same time, commissioning of a new energy-efficient kiln and dryer will allow the company to increase capacity, whilst creating in excess of 30 jobs.

James Newman, chairman of the Sheffield City Region LEP, said: “We are thrilled that we have been able to help Naylor with its ambitious plans to increase capacity and save energy; these will enable the firm to cut costs and compete at an international level.

“The LEP bid for, and secured this funding on a competitive basis. Since then we have set about securing the maximum value for public money, and in doing so, supporting as many companies as possible to invest and grow.”

Coun Roy Miller, cabinet spokesperson for place at Barnsley Council, added: “I’m very happy that the firm has successfully secured this funding.

“Supporting business growth in Barnsley is a priority for shaping the future of the borough so this grant is great news for both Naylor Industries and the Barnsley borough as a place to work and develop.”