IKO Insulation has opened its first insulation plant in the UK in Alconbury, Cambridgeshire.

The factory will manufacture IKO enertherm Polyisocyanurate insulation boards which can be used in cavity walls, external walls, floors and roofs. It will have the capacity to insulate 40,000 homes a year.

The 60,000m² site was an operational air base between 1938 and 1995, used by both the British and American Air Force. It took one year to build and created 160 jobs in the area.

Key figures from IKO hosted an official opening event last week. They included Hartley Koschitzky, Co-Chairman of IKO Group and CEO of IKO Europe, Jonathan Koschitzky, Director of European Manufacturing, Dirk Theuns, CEO of IKO Insulations Europe, and Anthony Carlyle, Group Managing Director of IKO PLC.

Guests were given a tour of the factory and of the air base, including its underground bunker.

Koschitzky said: “Two thousand and eighteen will be another ground-breaking year in the history of IKO, as we open our first insulation plant in the UK.

“This facility will be our third PIR factory in Europe and fifth worldwide, and it represents a significant investment for IKO that will enhance our leading position as a supplier of choice for contractors and building materials merchants.

“We are excited to be here in Alconbury and look forward to being an active part of the community.”