Stewart has invested £400,000 in new rotational moulding machinery to boost manufacturing capacity for its textured decorative pots and planters.

The new machine is expected to increase output by 27% within a year to meet rapidly increasing demand for the families of stone, metal and wood ‘lookalike’ products in the Stewart range. “Roto-moulded products have become some of our fastest-growing lines – we can’t make enough of them,” MD Andy Burns (pictured) told GTN Xtra this week.

Output from the new Ferry RotoSpeed RS-3000 rotational moulding machine at the manufacturer’s state-of-the art factory in Banbury is equivalent to three of the existing ones.

“It will help us realise our growth potential and enhance our reputation for quality, timely and accurate production,” Burns said. “Our analysis shows that the payback period for this investment will be relatively short. This is a sizeable investment that proves once again that Stewart is a committed market                   leader.”

Stewart Garden’s customer base of around 1,600 outlets in the UK and Ireland includes more than 600 independent garden centres as well as garden centre and DIY chains.