A leading firm has invested over £500,000 in its Maryport factory to double its capacity.
SIS Pitches is the UK’s leading synthetic turf manufacturer, producing premium hybrid, synthetic and natural pitches for sports, including football, rugby, hockey, padel, Gaelic sports, multi-use games areas, tennis and cricket.
The company has spent over £500,000 on two new tufting machines at its Maryport facility, which will more than double the site’s capacity to produce elite level sports surfaces for new and existing clients including Celtic Football Club, Rangers Football Club, Saracens Rugby Club and Loughborough University.
The newer, more powerful tufting machines in Maryport will be used to manufacture SISTurf, SIS’s synthetic pitch product used by some of the world’s biggest sports teams, as well as schools, colleges and universities.
With the new machines capable of reaching up to 600 RPM, SIS will now be able to design and manufacture product at a much quicker rate while using 20% less energy. The global sports surface specialist will also be able to prepare new turf designs as separate orders are being completed, made possible by the double creels fitted on each machine. As well as increasing SIS’s own output, the move will also enable further sales to third-party installers.
The major investment follows three years of controlled growth, which has seen SIS Group – the business comprising SIS Pitches as well as specialist machinery and undersoil drainage divisions – grow turnover by an annualised 30% over recent years, it said.
The growth has seen the company increase the size of its team by over 25% during the same period, it added.
Last month saw SIS Group open a new office in Warsaw, Poland, following a similar investment in Saudi Arabia, where the opening of a new office in Riyadh coincided with SIS Pitches recent installation of the world’s first fully indoor hybrid pitch in just 21 days at Riyadh’s iconic Kingdom Arena.
Over the last 12 months alone, SIS Group has experienced significant growth in other emerging international markets. The business grew its footprint in Georgia significantly following the successful installation and ongoing maintenance of 11 hybrid pitches for the UEFA under-21 European Championships.
Similarly, it has also diversified its offering in the UAE through the provision of Padel courts in addition to baseball and equestrian surfaces across the country. Two new turf farms, in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, were also purchased to facilitate the production and transportation of SIS’s own turf to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
SIS Group has also made six senior appointments.
Dan Meredith joins as group marketing director with a focus on executing a first-class marketing, advertising and communications strategy, with Lucas Poen taking up the role of operations director with the aim to scale the operations of SIS Grass while increasing efficiencies.
Simon Drury is taking on the role of sustainability manager and also joining the business is Duncan Drury as head of IT, while Dan Ramsdale has been recruited as SIS project manager for its specialist maintenance contracts service.
Finally, Rafal Abel joins as the company’s new business development representative for Poland and will be based at the company’s new office in Warsaw.
George Mullan, CEO at SIS Group, said: “We are committed to the development of exceptional playing surfaces using the latest materials and manufacturing techniques. Our latest investment will make us more efficient and is a signal of our intent to grow, just as we experience sustained interest from some of the most recognisable names in sport.
“But this is also a commitment to our future as a UK-based manufacturer. With these new machines, we will be able to complete more projects at home and abroad. This will have a real impact at both elite and grassroots level, giving people more opportunity to participate in their chosen sport.”
