ACS plots growth with new facility

A manufacturer and designer of stainless steel structural building components, the firm has completed work on 10,000 sq ft of expansion space at its base in Cross Green, Leeds.

ACS Stainless Steel Fixings makes products including wall ties, windposts, masonry support and brick slip systems.

The company employs 133 colleagues at its factory, including a cohort of apprentices from local colleges; the additional 10,000 sq ft will allow ACS to expand its operations, creating more new jobs and investing in automation and new processes that will set it apart in the industry, the firm said.

With the building itself complete, the team will now spend six months installing new automated machinery before starting operations in the space this summer.

David Flannery, managing director, said: “The manufacturing sector has an opportunity to seize new opportunities, embrace change and invest in new technologies.

“This investment is testament to our belief in the future of the sector, one in which we intend to continue to grow and pioneer new products that are made here in Yorkshire. The new facility gives us the capacity to make this a reality and we look forward to expanding operations and welcoming more new colleagues in the coming months.”

The building features photovoltaic panels and EV charge points, while the firm said that operations are also sustainable, with 90% of the raw material used at ACS being recyclable, and the resulting suite of stainless steel products being 100% recyclable.

Flannery continued: “It is the responsibility of businesses to minimise their impact on the environment. That’s a big challenge in a sector as traditional as manufacturing but ACS is striving to make a positive change, finding new ways in which to maximise our output, while working towards becoming net zero and ensuring that as our presence and product lines increase, our carbon footprint does not.”

In April 2023, ACS launched Intex, a Leeds-made product billed as the UK’s first combined masonry support system combining four critical components in one easy-to-fit design.