Knauf Insulation has completed a £7m upgrade of its manufacturing plant in Cwmbran.

The work includes a full rebuild of the furnace at the heart of the plant, and the addition of new packaging machinery, for which the company is recruiting an operator.

Darren Holt, Cwmbran plant manager, Knauf Insulation, said: “This investment means our Cwmbran plant will continue to play a key role in meeting the increasing demand for high-performance, non-combustible insulation for years to come.

“We’re proud that our Cwmbran facility now features the latest innovative manufacturing and operations technology, and we’re constantly on the lookout for new employees to come and work with us in this state-of-the-art facility.”

During the works, the plant’s 207 employees also volunteered to support local charities under Knauf Insulation’s ‘Community Matters’ programme.

In total, 576 hours were given over to four good causes in Torfaen - Ty Nant Ddu learning disability resource centre in Pontypool, Ty Hafan paediatric palliative care hospice, Hospice of the Valleys and Hope Rescue for dogs.

Grant Jarrett, team leader at Ty Nant Ddu, said: “A team of four or five staff came to work alongside us to help paint and freshen up some of our rooms, do some landscaping work and help with access and the seating areas in our gardens at Ty Nant Ddu. Knauf Insulation volunteers have also completed some clearance work at our greenwellie project and helped with the maintenance of our storage container.

“This work has been invaluable to the continuing development of our service and we hope to continue to work closely with Knauf Insulation to build on the positive partnership that has been created.”

The programme of work at the plant was scheduled to take six weeks, but was completed three days early. It included a complete rebuild of the furnace, and plant-wide refurbishments and modifications taking advantage of the latest technology developments to maintain high product standards.

The programme also included energy efficiency improvements with new compressors, drives and motors installed which will reduce the plant’s CO2 emissions by just under 7,000 tonnes per year.

Knauf Insulation’s Cwmbran plant manufactures glass mineral wool for use in a wide variety of applications. Products made at the site include the Supafil range of blowing wools for cavity insulation, and the Earthwool range of high-performance rolls and slabs for use in traditional and off-site construction.