Kingspan Access Floors is to invest £1.25 million on new, state-of-the-art production equipment at its Hull manufacturing site to meet increasing demand for its raised flooring products.

Most of the demand is coming from overseas markets where Kingspan’s international sales have increased by more than a third compared to last year.

Major orders have come from across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and also Continental Europe where, despite the euro crisis, Kingspan’s joint venture company in Spain, Kingspan Suelo Técnico, is maintaining its market-leading position.

Kingspan Managing Director Terry Newman said: “In line with the growth of our international business, we have now further developed our international team by recently appointing our first overseas-based sales manager, who is working from the Ukraine, and a further UK based manager.”

“Although the UK market is currently relatively flat, the forecasts are for growth in the commercial office sector from next year, so that will be a further boost for Kingspan,” he added.

“This major investment in new equipment highlights the Kingspan group’s commitment to our Hull manufacturing site. It will increase our production capacity by 30% and cut energy consumption by up to 40%.”

Press Techniques of Huddersfield have custom built the production equipment and will begin installation shortly. Managing Director Alan Penn said: “The equipment is highly efficient, user friendly and will provide a major payback on power usage.”

In further environmental moves, Kingspan recently signed a green energy contract for its electricity and is also installing photovoltaic solar panels as part of the Kingspan Group’s commitment to use only renewable energy on its sites by 2020.

Kingspan is the UK’s leading manufacturer of raised flooring. Its products are widely used in offices and data centres, enabling organisations to conceal cabling and mechanical and electrical services under the flooring whilst maintaining easy access to it.

In Hull Kingspan recently installed over 5,000m2 of access flooring in the new Humberside Police headquarters on Clough Road.

In Manchester Kingspan is installing 27,000m2 of flooring in one of the largest commercial construction projects currently being undertaken in the North – a new £100 million head office for the Co-operative Group.

Kingspan employs 138 people at its Hull site on Burma Drive, Marfleet Lane.