State-of-the-art super campus for Ayrshire’s Scotia Windows and Doors
Having concluded the succession of retiring MD Robert McKnight in the summer with two new board appointments, Scotia Windows and Doors continues its programme of investment with expansion into an additional production facility on the outskirts of Kilmarnock. The overspill into this newly-completed factory building sees Scotia unwind the last of its satellite operations, bringing all production onto the one site and providing sufficient capacity for its aluminium window and door lines to supply both existing new-build customers and commercial projects across Scotland.
Ingoing Managing Director, Gavin Smith, explained: “The addition of another 7,500m2 of production and yard capacity will allow the group to absorb its expanding aluminium division and extend the PVC-U lines to accommodate trade and new-build manufacturing on a single campus. We are a market leader in this industry in Scotland, we have recently been accredited as a Real Living Wage employer and our loyal teams have a clean, modern and safe environment in which to make windows and doors for the biggest housebuilding names in the country. We are delighted to have been supported by East Ayrshire Council in this latest project and we value its commitment to one of the largest employers in the local authority area.”
With the extra production space comes the opportunity for Scotia to make additional investment in new equipment: in November, the company expanded its fabricating resource with another Urban eight head welder, and a third Stuga cutting line has been ordered for delivery in 2022. Scotia currently employs 175 at its Kilmarnock base and a further 35 in the field amongst installers and engineers, and the extra capacity provided by this move to a single location will create more employment opportunities in new-build and aluminium fabrication. The company is planning for an additional 12 production operatives initially, and will continue to work closely with Ayrshire College’s network to train and integrate students within their workforce. Additionally, Skills Development Scotland supports Scotia to provide bespoke, modern apprenticeship programmes to add depth to its production resource, and Scotia supports the Kickstart Scheme to find work for young people claiming Universal Credit.
This past year has also seen the group consolidate its position in the premium market with the opening of extensive showroom facilities in Alva, Clackmannanshire, from where the Scotia Architectural Systems team – led by Director Mark McLean – designs bespoke windows and doors for a wide variety of high-end building projects, including a recent feature on Grand Designs. Drawing on its own internal Passivhaus resource, the division offers a unique strength in highly efficient, new-build architecture, augmenting its own products with systems from Internorm and Solarlux’s stylish ranges.
East Ayrshire local authority’s leader – Councillor Douglas Reid – said: “Our ambitions for Moorfield Park continue to be realised, with the recent completion of these two new units as part of Phase 2, and we are delighted that Scotia have once again chosen this location as part of their expansion plans – testament indeed that those local businesses are growing and thriving here. The location and design add strength to Scotia’s dominant position in the Scottish market, with easy transport links, good local service infrastructure, a spacious layout and an adaptable unit for the next 10 years – it’s a great package!”
Tel: 01563 541 111
