Aluminium fabricator’s rapid growth
Rapid growth at Norwich-based glazing manufacturer, Norwich Aluminium, has seen the company move to new 80% larger premises and employ five new staff.
Norwich Aluminium was established six years ago by local glazing man Alex Warren, who spotted an opportunity to move into aluminium.
By re-mortgaging his house, Alex set up the company in a unit on White Lodge Trading Estate in Norwich, next to other established brands such as Screwfix and SIG.
“Using my knowledge of the PVCU market, I could see the growing opportunity in aluminium,” Alex said. “I knew that if I wanted to take the leap, I had to react quickly to market trends and invest properly.
“The banks were not interested at the time, so I raised the funds myself to get going and set up a small manufacturing facility in Norwich. We started with just three staff.”
Norwich Aluminium manufactures glazing for domestic and commercial projects. It recently completed glazing for new wards at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, some of which are currently being used as emergency Covid-19 wards.
The company has worked on hundreds of projects across the country, ranging from new and existing schools and shop fronts to home renovations and commercial offices.
Subsidiary company Norwich Aluminium Trade Supply was set up in December 2020 with a focus on manufacturing a quality aluminium product for other glazing companies involved in installation-only projects, and were looking for a reliable local supplier.
Today, Norwich Aluminium employs 30 full-time staff across the group. Having outgrown its premises, Alex invested £340,000 to move to new 80% larger offices and a bespoke manufacturing facility on the same industrial estate. The offices have been designed, manufactured and installed by spatial designers and event agency Production Bureau and comprise workspace and meeting rooms, as well as a staff canteen.
The manufacturing premises includes new top-of-the-range equipment and work benches to allow an increase in production, as well as a better space for the staff, who have been key to the success of the business.
“In 2020 alone we manufactured over £3 million of aluminium glazing products for customers across the country,” Alex said. “We are targeting a 30% growth on that figure this year.
“While the UK construction and manufacturing industries continue to struggle, our future order book is looking very strong. We’re bucking the trend and still growing. We pride ourselves on quality and moving to these new premises will enable us to offer an even better service for our customers using the latest manufacturing facilities.”
