Vivalda Group has announced a new investment of £150,000 in automated routing technology.

This funding reaffirms the business' long-term commitment to UK manufacturing and the growing importance of off-site fabrication within the construction sector.

The commissioning of two Radecal ATC CNC Piranha routers at its Birmingham branch enables the company to fulfill the growing demand for non-flammable architectural panels and boards to be cut to size and prepared for delivery on-site.

Chairman and founder of Vivalda, Peter Johnson, said: "Increasingly, architects are specifying the use of hidden fixings on non-flammable facades to improve the aesthetics of their buildings. This, along with the more widespread adoption of just-in-time, offsite fabrication has prompted this investment in technology. Automation is increasingly important within the construction sector, as it reduces delivery times, cuts down on transport costs and also eliminates damage and costly mistakes during the fabrication stage.


"This investment brings our total number of automated CNC routers to six, demonstrating our commitment to our value-add strategy. Our success is based on the ability to provide architects and contractors with complete solutions – delivering pre-cut, fully prepared cladding boards on-site. This sounds simple in theory, but in practice requires a vision, which is backed up by a commitment to technology investment, manufacturing, logistics, planning and skills."

He added: "I am convinced the success of the UK building industry must be based on improving our skills, increasing our investment in automation and adopting more efficient supply chain models such as modular construction. Our long-term investment in plant, logistics, premises and technology is testament to that strategy."

(CM/JG)