This new purpose built 70,000sq ft site has doubled Designplan’s working factory space and will allow increased production capacity to further reduce lead-times and allow Designplan to accelerate the development and commercialisation of product innovations. The new site will also allow for many new jobs to be created in addition to Designplan’s 144 current staff.
‘As a company, we are committed to continually setting industry standards and pushing forward with the latest techniques and materials,’ said Paul Williamson, Designplan Lighting’s managing director. ‘At a time of unprecedented transition and transformation in business generally and the lighting industry specifically, nothing matters more than our ability to innovate and serve our customers. The opening of this exciting expansion is the perfect platform for us to raise the bar even higher on the design and innovation of our products. The new factory will allow us to streamline our business processes and bring our customers an even greater range of energy efficient and robust lighting solutions,’ he said.
The new factory incorporates clever features, designed with efficiency and sustainability in mind. Its state of the art energy efficient lighting is controlled by photocells, sensors and timers for efficient electricity use. The factory also includes an efficient paint plant and solar panel on the roof, natural light panels, and water collection, all in an effort to use resources more efficiently. All these features have contributed to the new factory being one of the UK’s first buildings to be awarded a BREEAM Excellent rating.
Designplan Lighting makes vandal and weather resistant lighting for use in transport, social housing, custodial, secure healthcare and urban environments. Projects it has been involved in include Gatwick Airport, London Overground, St. Pancras Station, HM Prison Oakwood and Stade de France in Paris. The company’s best-known and most widely specified fittings include the Tuscan, Quadrant, Torino, Parkalux and Mission ranges.
‘We are looking forward to making the most of our expanded facilities and workforce to bring exciting new product innovations to the market,’ Mr Williamson said.
