Stone wool insulation manufacturer Rockwool has bought 46 hectares of land near Birmingham for a new factory to ramp up production in the face of rising demand.

The planned manufacturing facility at the Pedimore site to the north east of the city will feature proprietary electric melting technology for its stone wool insulation products.

The Peddimore site, which is designated specifically for manufacturing use, is included in Birmingham City Council’s development plan and comes with outline planning  for a manufacturing facility.

Key infrastructure including a new access road and roundabout into the site is already in place, servicing an adjacent facility built last year.

Rockwool will go to consultation in coming weeks before submitting detailed plans to Birmingham City Council.

Nick Wilson, managing director of Rockwool UK & Ireland, said: “We’re very excited at the opportunity to expand the business into the West Midlands that would enable us to boost our production capacity in the UK and to create quality jobs and business opportunities in the local community.

“During the past 45 years, we have built a strong foundation at our site in South Wales where we will continue to manufacture and invest for the long-term, and are now looking to build on that success with a second manufacturing plant at the Peddimore site.”