Baxi Potterton invests in future production of high-efficiency boilers

To support the future development of high-efficiency condensing boilers, Baxi Potterton is to invest £3.5 million in a new aluminium production cell at is factory at Alfer in Lancashire. The new facility will produce aluminium heat exchangers. The most valuable aspect of the investment is the flexibility given to the design of modern heat exchangers. Jim Lyon, operations director, explains, ‘By investing directly in our own aluminium casting facility, we are able to retain a core design and manufacturing skill which will be pivotal in the development of high-efficiency products for Baxi Potterton and the Baxi Group. ‘The UK Government’s Energy White Paper, published in 2003, set the wheels in motion for a high-efficiency-boiler-only market. ‘We aim to remain at the very forefront of technological innovation, and by investing in our own dedicated aluminium casting facility, we will be able to move energy-efficient designs into production models very quickly, ensuring technological advances are brought much more rapidly to market. This is already being demonstrated by the fact that we have compressed our design cycle, reducing the process for new component development into as little as four months.’