A PONTYPOOL building products firm that suffered a major fire a year ago has officially sealed the deal on a new factory and considerable expansion land which will see it create a host of new jobs while protecting others.

The development should create 31 new jobs and protect 12 others, in a remarkable turnaround for the fire-ravaged firm.

The Argus reported in January that the company had tabled the plan, and now it has put pen to paper - backed by the Welsh Government - on investing £790,000 in a new production facility.

Brick Fabrication Ltd, which makes brick-clad glass-reinforced plastic chimneys and other pre-fabricated building products for top house builders in the UK. The new jobs will boost means the company employee total will exceed the 100 mark in the next few years.

After the fire at its current Pontypool premises in July last year, the company made temporary production arrangements in nearby factories owned by Torfaen County Borough Council and managed to avoid any redundancies.

Edwina Hart, minister for economy, science and transport, said: “I am pleased that we have been able to provide Brick Fabrication with assistance for its expansion plans in Pontypool, allowing the company to create 31 new positions over the next three years and safeguard 12 existing jobs here in Wales.

“The support provided by the Welsh Government has come at a crucial time for the company."

Brick Fabrication, which operates in both Pontypool and Stoke-on-Trent, has an annual turnover of £3.5 million. With the Welsh Government’s help, it has recently purchased a 15,000 sq ft factory and two acres of expansion land close to its existing existing Pontypool home.

Ms Hart added: “The support will enable a significant amount of private sector investment, bringing forward the firm’s expansion plans and maximising the opportunities identified in future house building growth.” The funding that has been provided for the project is in the form of non-repayable finance.

Company director John White said: “The fire was a major event in the 18 years that Brick Fabrication has been in existence. Torfaen council, our local authority, was fantastic in its support and offered us alternative factory space within days, which meant that staff were able to keep production going for the majority of our products and customers.

“Once the dust had settled, we reviewed the future of the business and could have expanded at our Stoke-on-Trent facility. However, Wales is a fantastic place to do business and the Welsh Government were keen to support the plan to make Pontypool our UK centre of excellence for the design and manufacture of pre-fabricated building products."