The construction of a new production plant in Lancashire has begun: a 40,000 sqm plot of land in Preston has been acquired.
It will be Kerakoll’s 20th plant globally.
Carl Gardner appointed as the new General Manager UK and Director UK, Netherlands and Nordics.
Kerakoll Group strengthens its presence in the United Kingdom and focuses on the regions of Northern Europe. It is in this direction that the two innovations announced today by the B Corp certified Benefit Corporation and a multinational company active in the construction sector go, which thus further accelerates its path of international development, which already today sees 38% of total revenues coming from foreign markets.
The first news concerns the appointment of Carl Gardner in the role of General Manager UK and Regional Director of the UK, Netherlands and Nordics macro-geographical area.
This is a significant step in the implementation of the new International Business Unit, which also sees the current UK General Manager, Filippo Iacconi, take on the role of International Marketing Manager of the Group at a global level.
Carl Gardner, after graduating with a specialization in Business Management, held increasing leadership roles at Saint Gobain in the commercial field until he took on the role of Managing Director at Artex. He was the promoter of the “Sustainable Business Solutions” business unit in Travis Perkins and before joining Kerakoll, he held the role of Regional Director UK and France for Jeld-Wen, a world leader in the production and marketing of doors and windows for the residential and non-residential sectors. Carl Gardner will lead the UK subsidiary in an important phase in which the integration and unification of the Tilemaster brands, the ceramic and natural stone installation systems company acquired by the Group in 2017, and Kerakoll are planned.
The second announcement refers to the start of the project for the construction of a new production plant in the United Kingdom: Kerakoll has signed a contract for the acquisition of a plot of land of approximately 40,000 square meters in Preston, Lancashire, which will be used for the construction of a new production site. The plant will complement the existing one in Lancashire, in Leyland, and will be a base for the production and distribution of Kerakoll products in both the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. With the completion of this plant, the number of Kerakoll Group production sites globally, located on 3 continents, will rise to 20. The timeline calls for the masterplan for the facility to begin by spring 2024, while construction work on the plant will begin by 2024. The work is scheduled to be completed in spring 2026.
“We are thrilled to have started the path that will lead us to have a second production plant in Great Britain: this is a step in the more general direction of strengthening our international development projects – said Fabio Sghedoni, Vice President of Kerakoll Group – In addition, it is a pleasure for me to be able to welcome Carl Gardner to the company: having identified a professional with experience and knowledge of the market of his level will allow Kerakoll to give a further boost to growth, not only on the English market but in the entire Northern Europe region.”
