Arrowing in on a new HQ
RAILING and balustrade contractor Q-railing is preparing to move into a new, bigger site as part of its plans for growth.
At the moment, the company’s 30-strong team is spread across three units in Lowfield Drive, Wolstanton.
But now work has started on Q-railing’s new purposebuilt warehouse at the Tunstall Arrow site, off James Brindley Way, in Sandyford.
Bosses at the firm say the move to the 43,500 square-foot building will allow the company to take on more work and create jobs.
General manager Bruce Bradshaw said: “We have been looking for new premises for about three years now because units of this size are hard to come by in North Staffordshire.
“At the moment, our site in Wolstanton is about 7,000 square-feet and we are at capacity. We are in desperate need of extra space because it’s getting difficult to manage.”
Mr Bradshaw added: “Our new site is obviously a lot bigger and we won’t need the 43,500 square-feet immediately, but it gives us that potential to grow.
“We are not just thinking about what will happen over the next few years, we are thinking about what is going to happen in the next 10 or 15.
“We are a sales-driven business so we want to focus on growing our sales, but to support that growth we obviously need more people.”
Q-railing is a family-run business which has more than 300 colleagues – and a turnover of £50 million – around the world.
In the UK, it turns over in excess of £12 million every year and boasts a 30-strong workforce.
The company turned down a unit at High Carr Business Park, in Newcastle, before signing the 15-year lease on the Sandyford warehouse.
It has already taken occupancy of the new building and work is now being carried out in preparation for when the business moves in during November.
Mr Bradshaw said: “We win a lot of work because of our ability to offer a workshop service, but we have a very small workshop at Wolstanton. So we were keen to expand that.
“Our new workshop will be up to 6,000 square-feet in size, which will increase our manufacturing capability and create extra work.”