Breedon Group plc is set to ramp up production of Welsh Slate roofing slates at its Penrhyn Quarry in North Wales with the installation of a new £750,000 state-of-the-art saw line.
The new saw line will help meet sustained demand for the roofing slates, which are widely specified on projects around the world for their durability, distinctive colour and long lifespan. It will also ensure more of the slate extracted from the company's slate quarries can be used.
The investment is expected to increase the company's roofing slate production capacity by an additional 8,000 per week.
As part of the process, Welsh Slate is extracted from the company's Penrhyn, Ffestiniog and Cwt-y-Bugail quarries before being broken down into manageable raw block sizes. These are then processed on existing saw lines before being split into roofing slates, either by machine or by skilled operators using a traditional hand‑splitting method. However, some of the raw blocks have historically been too small to process efficiently.
The saw line – which has been developed and built in-house by a dedicated engineering team – has been specifically designed to cut and size these smaller raw blocks more efficiently, enabling the production of smaller roofing slates and reducing waste by ensuring more of the material extracted from the quarries can be used. It will work alongside other automated machines, with Welsh Slate's well-known hand-splitting also continuing on site.
Barry O'Connor, General Manager – Welsh Slate, Special Aggregates and Circular Economy at Breedon, said:
“This investment represents an important step for Welsh Slate and for Penrhyn Quarry. By introducing this state-of-the-art saw line we can significantly increase production capacity while also making better use of the slate extracted from the quarries.
“It means material that was previously too small to process can now be brought into production, helping us reduce waste while supporting the skilled teams who continue to split and dress our high quality slates.
“Penrhyn Quarry has an enduring and proud history, and this investment demonstrates our commitment to the long-term future of Welsh Slate and ensuring the site continues to supply high-quality roofing materials for many years to come.”
Penrhyn Quarry has been producing roofing slate since the 13th century and has been a centre of the UK natural stone industry for more than 700 years.
