JDT makes Chorley move

James Donaldson Timber has taken possession of a 110,000 sq ft facility at Botany Bay Business Park, more than doubling its local production capacity.

JDT said that the factory’s size allows for a number of fully integrated, continuous lines of manufacturing, which will boost productivity and create a better working environment for its team.

The firm agreed terms on the new-build facility within FI Real Estate Management’s £220m Botany Bay scheme, close to Junction 8 of the M61, in April last year.  A bespoke fit-out programme was then initiated.

Situated two miles from JDT’s existing Chorley site, the location was chosen to integrate with established routes and operational processes, while also minimising disruption for the long-serving skilled workforce. The fully-enclosed facility has scope for 24-hour operations if required.

Perform Panel, a division of Donaldson Group subsidiary Nu-Style Products, will use 10,000 sq ft of the facility for storage and distribution purposes. Perform Panel has more than 35 years of heritage manufacturing a range of decorative wet wall laminated panels as well as floor, splashback and ceiling products.

Work is continuing uninterrupted throughout the transition between the sites, with the new factory expected to be fully operational by autumn 2025

JDT is part of the Donaldson Group, which has been operating from Fife for 165 years and now includes 16 group businesses across the timber and building products market.

• BOOK NOW: North West Industrial & Logistics 2025

Iain Torrance, managing director of JDT, said: “Opening the Chorley branch was our first venture into England back in 2008, and it’s been a hugely successful move for us. It significantly changed our product offering, expanding beyond timber for the first time, and allowed us to better service our clients north and south of the border.

“After 17 years, we’ve simply outgrown the site. It was becoming impractical and inefficient and was no longer suitable for our future growth plans. The new site is purpose built as a manufacturing unit with more scope to develop our offering – and it provides a much-improved working environment too, bringing benefits for our customers and our colleagues.”

Andrew Donaldson, group chief executive officer, said: “This is an extremely exciting move for JDT and also for us as a Group, more than doubling the capacity for JDT in England and bringing benefits for Nu Style too.

“The MDF mouldings market continues to grow at pace and will inevitably increase further once we see the development of much-needed housing across the UK.

“JDT is the original part of the Donaldson Group, so we’re particularly proud to see such a positive evolution of this business as we enter our 165th year.”