Solomon Commercials, the UK’s leading manufacturer of refrigerated vehicles, has begun work on a new facility following a fire at its preparation and fabrication facility on the Carrs Industrial Estate in Haslingden.
The fire occurred in June 2023, but following recent demolition, construction has begun on a new 20,000 sq. ft facility that will be operational later this year.
Established in 1976, Solomon employs over 450 people and designs and manufactures refrigerated vehicles working with independent businesses, PLCs, dot-com enterprises and retailers.
Solomon Commercials’ managing director, Anthony Clegg, 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.”
