Member Article

Siddall & Hilton Products announces £9m three-year redevelopment of Brighouse manufacturing site

Welded steel mesh manufacturer Siddall and Hilton Products, which employs 60 people in Brighouse, has unveiled major plans to completely redevelop its 4.5 acre sites in the town with a £9m investment as it pursues its commitment of becoming a world-class manufacturer.

The business, which dates back to 1895, has a number of manufacturing, storage and office buildings on both sides of Foundry Street, some of which are over 150 years old and are no longer fit for purpose. Siddall and Hilton Products has now been granted planning permission to begin work on phase one of the three-year project which will see the creation of new amenities for staff. The office -based team have temporarily moved into portakabins while the site is redeveloped. Initial works will provide new facilities including showers, locker-rooms and a canteen for employees, with a briefing room and a training space above. This will be followed by several major demolition and construction phases.

The first phase represents a £4m investment by Siddall and Hilton Products and will see the demolition of a number of the older buildings, to be replaced by a new portal-framed building, HGV service yard and factory extension, with work is due to start on site in 2023. The redevelopment has been carefully planned to ensure that the business remains fully operational throughout the work.

Later phases will include the extensive refurbishment of the old Tower Works site and the conversion of one of the sheds to provide permanent office accommodation. Once this has been completed, the company plans to remove the portakabins and build two warehousing units adjacent to Birds Royd Lane. Other enhancements will focus on improving vehicle movements around the site to minimise vehicular obstructions on Foundry Street and to significantly improve safety for pedestrians and other road users close to the works.

Overall, the project will enable the company to streamline its manufacturing processes by providing a much more efficient workflow, as well as creating a safer, greener and more modern environment for its employees and the local community.

The scheme has been designed by Darren Till, partner at TJP Architects, based in Pontefract.

Ian Thurley, chief executive, explained: “Since the MBO three years ago, the business has gone from strength to strength. We have already embarked on a major investment programme, from commissioning a new state-of-the-art £2m welding machine last year, replacing a roof and refurbishing existing machines to expanding the team and implementing ongoing training programmes to upskill colleagues.

“This significant investment in redeveloping the entire site will bring all our facilities up to the latest standards as we continue to compete on the world stage. Not only will it see us expanding our operational site capacity, but also improving process flow and future proofing the buildings as well as creating a better working environment. One of our key strengths is our skilled workforce in Brighouse and the scale of this project is a further demonstration of our commitment to our people and continuing to invest in the town.”

With a 127-year history, Siddall and Hilton Products has become the UK’s largest manufacturer of welded steel mesh for high-security fencing, general fencing and industrial mesh panels. In 2021-22, the last financial year for which figures are available , the business achieved turnover of £25.3m, despite ongoing Covid disruption, with its manufacturing team processing over 22,000 miles of wire a month.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Kilmurray .