Manufacturer developments: ScanStone invests £300,000 in factory expansion

At the end of 2018, the company moved its assembly line into a new building adjacent to the existing factory, complete with air-source underfloor heating, cranes and built in wifi to allow production staff to access online assembly manuals.

“As production expanded we found that we were simply not big enough, with a bottleneck in fabrication. We have now expanded the paint area to provide more drying capacity, again with underfloor heating. It gives us three times more space, and parts can be painted and dried within 24 hours,” explains Mr Skea.

Workshop space has also been extended as part of the £300,000 project, allowing the manufacturer to offer a clever ‘drive through repair shop’ where local farmers can bring machines in for urgent attention during the season.

“Covid-19 restrictions called for additional staffroom area and canteens to be spaced further out, so we have invested in a first floor mezzanine of 300 square metres for canteen space which will also have a training area. Customers can use this as a waiting area while their machines are attended to or can use the time for training,” he says.

The company is also looking to roll out an online parts service this year; £2.5m-worth of parts are held at Forfar and £1m at Lakenheath. Delivery is offered free of charge using the company’s own vans in Scotland and couriers elsewhere.

With soil preparation already starting for salad potato growers in East Anglia, ScanStone is set for a busy few months. “We appreciated government support during the first lockdown when we paused manufacturing briefly and we have worked closely with our MP and have been able to keep all parts of the business going this time,” says Mr Skea.

“Like many in our sector we have been lucky that we have not been badly affected, and while Brexit is causing short term pain, we are looking forward to a bright future.”