WernerCo, manufacturer of professional ladders and access towers, has invested over £1.2m into its Maldon UK facility, in an effort to strengthen its position in the market.

At the heart of the investment sits the installation of a new BLM Adige Fibre Optic Laser Cutter, used for cutting treads for WernerCo’s fibreglass stepladders, stiles for box section extension ladders and BoSS access tower components.

John Darby, WernerCo UK manufacturing engineering manager, said: “The investment in this second laser cutting machine prevents any need for outsourcing and provides an increase in capacity to support growth. The new machinery enables cutting for the D-Rung ladder stiles and glass-reinforced plastic treads and horizontals. More critically this investment improves and streamlines production processes, following the production lines moving from our Belper site.”

To support the overall improvements in operational efficiency at the Maldon plant, over 25,000 sq.ft of storage buildings have been added for component storage, including a 10,000 sq.ft dedicated extrusion store.

In November 2015, WernerCo opened a new National Distribution Centre in Burton Upon Trent, which saw the move of finished ladders from Maldon and Belper. This new centrally located facility provides distribution and collection facilities to WernerCo’s UK customer base. As a result, over 36,000 sq.ft of production floor in Maldon has now been relayed to optimise production efficiency and to absorb the volume from the Belper closure on course for later this year.