Following a record-breaking 2020, AMES UK says it is experiencing unprecedented demand from customers in the early weeks of 2021. Pre-season orders for aggregates, paving, pots, water features and outdoor heating products are, in many cases, more than double that of the same time last year.

The company already had ambitious plans for future expansion and spent much of the early lockdown investing in a series of measures to significantly expand capacity.

More than £1million has since been invested in an expanded fleet of forklifts and JCB loaders at the Pollington manufacturing site. Jon Wilson, Operations Director said “It was necessary to invest in new equipment to be able to respond to customer demand.”

New Toyota forklifts have proven to be popular with the team at the company’s Pollington site. Scott Davison, forklift operator said “They’re extremely spacious and comfortable with closed in cabs and central heating. They’re also highly manoeuvrable and the best I’ve driven.”

Further investment in headcount and productivity have helped significantly increase manufacturing capacity. Jon continues “We now operate permanent day and night shifts and we’ve significantly increased investment in Engineering to help drive productivity gains which was necessary so that we can serve the record levels of customer demand.”

Paul North, Managing Director believes the investments are worth far more to the business than the increased capacity alone. “Colleague and customer well-being is our highest priority. At AMES UK, we are committed to providing safe and rewarding environments for all our colleagues, and we are entirely focussed on supporting our customers. The investments in infrastructure to date and future investment plans will help us improve colleague engagement and better service our customers.”