A Swansea door manufacturer is expanding its operation with new premises in Llanelli as part of a wider strategy to grow its market beyond Wales into the rest of the UK.
Total Doors Ltd specialises in producing composite doors and has taken a 21,259 sq ft unit at Heol Aur in Dafen on a 10-year lease, at an annual rent of £60,000. National commercial property consultants Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) negotiated the terms of the deal on behalf of a private landlord.
The family-owned company employs some 30 staff currently at its facility in Swansea’s Enterprise Park and plans to recruit a further 15 once the second site in Dafen has opened on 31 October.
“We had a number of offers for Unit 5 Heol Aur as there is a distinct shortage of good quality industrial stock in south west Wales,” comments Jason Thorne of LSH.
“It is also a detached property built to a high standard in the 1980s by the WDA and set with an established well-located trade park, all factors which add to its appeal”.
Total Doors’ new building is undergoing considerable investment and refurbishment including improving the internal offices, and installing new electrics and heavy machinery to facilitate lean manufacturing processes.
Total Doors began in 2007 as a division of Service Total, a building maintenance company servicing the social housing sector. It became independent in 2015 having met a gap in the market to make and supply composite doors to other sectors.
As its Managing Director Nicola John explains, the company has grown rapidly both in scale and in the variety of products it offers and the company believes that the time is right to extend its offer outside of Wales and into the UK.
“Since the early days of making only one type of composite external door, we have diversified our products to include fire doors, patio and French doors, bifold, communal entrance doors and access control systems, and we now produce around 200 bespoke doors a week,” she said.
“Whether for new builds or refurbishments, our expertise allows us to supply a number of core markets including social housing, industrial, education and commercial, trade and the general public.”
Adds Jason Thorne of LSH: “I am confident this new base will support Total Doors’ growth plans perfectly. Junction J48 of the M4 is only three miles away so there is easy access to a good road distribution infrastructure as well as a strong catchment area from which to recruit a workforce.”