£6 million manufacturing investment gets the go-ahead

Morris Property has been commissioned to build the new manufacturing plant for sister company Morris Site Machinery after planners gave the go-ahead for the £6 million investment at i54, off junction two of the M54.

Work starts on 11^th November to deliver more than 60,000 sq ft of manufacturing and office space at the flagship site next to Jaguar Land Rover on the high-tech business park.

When the 12 months building programme is complete, it will enable Morris Site Machinery to relocate from its existing base at Four Ashes, Wolverhampton, three miles away to its own purpose-built base.

New images released show a distinctive building designed by DPS Architects to help the business to expand at this prime central location with well-connected communications links. The growing site machinery business is renowned for its SMC mobile lighting towers which it sells worldwide and for its range of other high-quality site equipment including generators, welders, pumps and pressure washers.

James West, Chief Operating Officer for Morris Property, said: “We have a track record of building quality schemes at major Midlands business parks. We are proud to be awarded this contract for a project that will make a significant difference to a sister business and which will add to our parent company portfolio.”

Chris Morris, CEO of Morris Site Machinery, said: “This exciting development is in good hands and represents an important step in our ambitions to build a flagship premises which can grow with us. We’ll be able to retain our skilled workforce by remaining local and have plans to also create new jobs.”

City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor Harman Banger, speaking on behalf of the i54 South Staffordshire Partnership, said: “Our joint investment at i54 has secured hundreds of millions of pounds of further investment and has brought thousands of jobs to the area, with half of employees living within a ten-mile radius.

“We are delighted work has started this month on the new Morris Site Machinery development, which illustrates that demand from potential investors in a number of sectors for more accommodation is high, and the western extension of i54 will enable us to deliver that for the benefit of local residents and businesses.”

Morris Property and Morris Site Machinery are part of Shrewsbury-based fifth-generation family business group Morris & Company which is celebrating its 150^th anniversary this year.

The property construction arm works in property investment and management, new build residential and commercial developments as well as restoration schemes.  The site machinery business made the 2018 Sunday Times International Track 200 for Export in both 2018 and 2019 which ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales.

Pictured: James West from Morris Property, Chris Morris and Allan Binstead from Morris Site Machinery