Kronospan to invest £5.5m into Chirk factory

A major employer on the Shropshire border is to invest £5.5 million in its factory, with bosses saying the cash injection is evidence of its 'long-term commitment' to the area.

The move by Kronospan, which employs more than 600 people, will bring the UK's only natural authentic embossing press to its plant at Chirk near Oswestry. The machinery is at the cutting-edge of technological advances.

It will enable Kronospan's Chirk factory to make the next generation of embossed-in-register melamine faced wood based panel product, used by the furniture, interior design, architectural and specification industries.

Bosses said although the huge investment may not initially bring more jobs, it signals its intent to further develop its operations.

Jason Dwan, Kronospan's works manager, said: "This level of investment is fantastic and very positive for the Chirk factory.

"We'll be the only unit in the UK manufacturing this product, which is part of our planned structural drive to expand our share in the melamine market within the UK.

"We've already introduced this product to the UK market from our sister factory in Salzburg, Austria.

"It has been really well received so we know there is a strong market demand for this innovation.

"The new technology will also allow us to produce both melamine facing board and laminate flooring."

Alex Gambroudes, who is Kronospan's commercial director, said: "We've invested considerably in improving our offering over the past few years, specifically in value-added products.

"By bringing the machinery that manufactures this product to the UK we're indicating our intent to further develop in this area of the market."

The press will be delivered to Kronospan's Chirk unit in June of this year and installed and operational by August.