Nov 2 2008
The first is a £6 million investment in the Corus Panels and Profiles Shotton Panel Line No 1. The second project is a joint collaboration between Corus and Australian company Dyesol.
Corus has once again demonstrated its commitment to innovation and sustainability through investment in two new facilities at its Shotton site in North Wales. The first is a £6 million investment in the Corus Panels and Profiles Shotton Panel Line No 1. The new state-of-the-art production line is the most automated and efficient in Europe. It is capable of producing 1 million m2 per year of composite panel cladding for the construction sector. The panel line is located next to an upstream Colorcoat production line and consequently incurs no transport costs for the delivery of its raw material stock, thereby reducing CO2 emissions.
The second project is a joint collaboration between Corus and Australian company Dyesol. Dyesol is a world leader in dye sensitised systems. DSC (dye sensitised solar cells) is an emerging Photovoltaic (PV) technology that mimics photo-synthesis in plants. Corus, in collaboration with Dyesol, has an ambition to develop, manufacture and market metal roof and wall cladding products with dye sensitised cell photovoltaic functionality to complement its existing business. The ambitious £11 million project has been supported by the Welsh Assembly Government and is seen as being in line with its objective of creating high value-added employment in Wales, based upon innovation and the renewable energy sector.
Rhodri Morgan, First Minister for Wales officially opened the facilities today at the Shotton plant. The First Minister said: “Corus have a long and proud history of continued investment in Wales, from the production of the steel itself right through the supply chain to its downstream businesses. These latest investments will diversify the Corus range of high value added finished products. They are yet another example of how Corus continually looks to innovate and invest in delivering some of the most sustainable products available to today’s construction sector, not only in the UK but in Europe as well. During difficult times in the construction sector, it is more important than ever for companies to be right at the forefront of new environmental technology exploiting new niche markets. That’s what today’s product launches are all about.”