New facility under construction for fire-hit Solomon Commercials

Refrigerated vehicle manufacturer Solomon Commercials has begun the construction of a replacement facility after a fire destroyed an existing building last summer.

The firm's preparation and fabrication facility on the Carrs Industrial Estate in Haslingden has now been demolished, to be replaced by a 20,000 sq ft facility that will be operational later this year.

Anthony Clegg, Solomon Commercials managing director, said: "Without doubt, the fire caused upheaval within the business and reduced our manufacturing capacity and capability, but more importantly, we’re relieved that nobody was harmed.

“It’s a testament to our people that we were able to respond quickly and reorganise our manufacturing estate to ensure we could still engineer and produce the quality refrigerated vehicles we’ve become known for.

“While the fire presented a challenge to our business, we also saw it as an opportunity to review our manufacturing processes. Consequently, we have been able to invest in new machinery and implement new working practices that will make us more productive.

“Once the work is complete, we’ll return to our optimum output.”

Established in 1976, Solomon employs over 450 people and designs and manufactures refrigerated vehicles working with independent businesses, PLCs, dot-com enterprises and retailers.