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Launch of ‘Ibstock Futures’ – plus initial £50m investment to create the UK’s first automated brick slip systems factory producing Net Zero products

Launch of ‘Ibstock Futures’ – plus initial £50m investment to create the UK’s first automated brick slip systems factory producing Net Zero products

Ibstock plc, the UK’s leading manufacturer of clay and concrete building products, has today announced the launch of a new business unit for the Group - ‘Ibstock Futures’.

  • Ibstock plc is proud to launch ‘Ibstock Futures’, a new business unit established to capture growth opportunities in new, fast growth sectors of the UK construction market
  • As its launch project - there will be a £50m investment to create the UK’s first automated brick slip systems factory in West Yorkshire
  • Initial investment will significantly increase Ibstock’s presence in the fast growing market for brick slip façade and walling systems in offsite and modular construction sectors
  • The factory, to be located in West Yorkshire, will have capacity to produce up to 60 million brick slips annually
  • The company expects Net Zero carbon brick slips to be in production by early 2024 (scope 1 & 2 emissions1)
  • New business unit offers further proof of Ibstock’s strategic focus on sustainability and innovation as it progresses along its 2025 Sustainability Roadmap

Ibstock Futures will enable the company to accelerate growth and diversify its revenue base by targeting fast growing areas of the UK construction market.

The new business unit will focus specifically on the development of technologies, products and solutions that are aligned to the two key trends shaping the construction sector: sustainability and the industrialisation of construction processes. The company believes the potential market for these technologies and systems is substantial and growing faster than the wider building products industry.

Solutions for off-site market

Headquartered at the company’s London i-studio, Ibstock Futures enables the Group to develop a stronger presence in the fast-growing off-site and modular construction markets.

As demand grows for façade products and solutions for both new build and re-cladding products, Ibstock Futures will develop new products suitable for a wide range of residential, commercial and mixed-use applications.

Initial £50M investment

As Ibstock Futures’ launch project, the Group is announcing plans to invest £50m to create the UK’s first automated brick slip systems factory in Nostell, West Yorkshire.

Brick slips provide a durable, safe and energy efficient alternative to other cladding solutions. The UK market for brick slips is significant, with annual volumes of circa 120 million slips, and is growing fast. The addition of a significant brick slip capability will be highly complementary to the Group’s existing clay brick business and the investment will enable Ibstock to take a leadership position in the market, significantly increasing its presence in the fast growing mid and high-rise construction sectors.

With a capacity for up to 60 million brick slips per annum, the factory will be constructed within the existing footprint of the Group’s Nostell facility, which operated as a brick factory until its closure in 2020. The facility benefits from significant adjacent clay reserves and established infrastructure and is well situated within the heartland of its anticipated key markets. The planning application process has commenced, and construction on site is expected to start during Q1 2022.

Net Zero product

The new factory will manufacture a wide range of different brick slip types and associated systems. It will incorporate the latest manufacturing technology to deliver a very significant reduction in carbon compared to both imported and domestically cut slips. In combination with high-quality offset projects, this will result in Nostell producing a Net Zero carbon brick slip; thus reflecting the Group’s commitment to environmental sustainability within its Sustainability Roadmap to 2025 (scope 1 & 2 emissions1).

“The launch of Ibstock Futures is an important strategic development for the Group,” says Joe Hudson, Ibstock plc’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our new business unit will directly address a number of exciting growth markets that complement our existing offer for conventional building methods as the focus on sustainability and the industrialisation of construction processes gathers pace.

“The initial £50m investment in brick slip manufacturing capacity at Nostell, West Yorkshire, will be a first for the UK and will enable us to take a leadership position in this fast-growing market. Crucially, it will also be a beacon of manufacturing excellence and sustainability – we are all very excited at the prospect of producing a Net Zero brick slip. We have made ambitious commitments on our Sustainability Roadmap to 2025 – and this announcement underpins our ambitions.

"The Nostell plant is the first of a pipeline of growth initiatives we have in development for Ibstock Futures and we are excited about the potential this new business has to accelerate growth in the years ahead.”

Carbon emissions are divided into three categories:

  • Scope 1 emissions – direct Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from operations that are owned or controlled by Ibstock. This includes the emissions from processing and firing of all clays and raw materials, Gas, LPG, Gas oil, Kerosene, Coal based materials and company cars/vans.
  • Scope 2 emissions – indirect emissions from electricity Ibstock buys from the grid for use at our facilities (factories and offices).
  • Scope 3 (other indirect): emissions which result from Ibstock PLC activities such as procurement, travel, water and waste

Picture: Ibstock plc’s Chief Executive Officer Joe Hudson


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