NEW CARPET FACTORY

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28984, 27 August 1959, Page 6

NEW CARPET FACTORY

“Production By End Of Year”

Contractors have started work on a new carpet factory in Maces road,' Bromley, and the owners expect to be weaving carpet there before the end of the year. The factory is for a group of manufacturers in the United Kingdom who will operate under the name of British Carpets Ltd. The contract let this month isl only the first stage for a planned expansion on the Bromley site of 12 acres. It comprises a single-storey factory block with a floor area of 22.000 square feet; a two-storey block containing administration offices and amenities on the ground floor which has an area of 2400 square feet and a staff can- [ teen of similar area above; minor buildings including a boiler house, reading and car parks. Bulldozers have already cleared much of the site and concrete slab foundations are being poured. The construction will be mainly in brick and the factory roof will be made on the “south light” principle with the idea of obtaining maximum light inside without bright sunshine or dark shadows. Initial Stage The New Zealand representative of a member company of the manufacturing group (Mr K. R. H. Neville) said yesterday that present work was only the initial stage. “The remaining area is for expansion'which will take place in a fairly short time,” he said. Although present stage would probably not be completed it was hoped that there would be enough factory Space available and sufficient machinery assembled and installed so that some carpet would be produced off looms before the end of the year. “It is considered to be a highly satisfactory factory area we are opening up. The land itself is particularly good for factory construction and the labour potential from the north-eastern areas is really quite good," he said. Mr Neville said that within two to four years the factory’s labour force would build up to between 240 and 260 persons and with expansion would increase to 350 persons and perhaps even more than that later.