The new sustainable building materials facility at Freeport East create around 100 highly skilled jobs in Stowmarket and £45m investment
Turkish sustainable building materials manufacturer Assan Panel, an affiliate of Kibar Holding, has confirmed its plans to locate its first UK manufacturing facility at Gateway 14, part of Freeport East.
A skilled workforce will be required at the new multi-million-pound facility, which will manufacture sandwich panels filled with Polyisocyanurate (PIR), mineral wool, or polyurethane – critical components in constructing sustainable and eco-friendly buildings.
The UK and Turkey are discussing an enhanced trade agreement
Both Freeport East and Assan Panel are keen to ensure the investment acts as a positive signal to other companies looking to strengthen trade connections between the two countries.
Contingent upon securing required approvals, İhsan Tolga Akar, managing director of Assan Panel, mentioned that the goal is to have the new plant operational by Autumn 2025.
As part of its investment, Assan Panel, which exports to 85 countries from Turkey, is planning to establish a new office in Ipswich to cater the UK market.
Gateway 14 is East Anglia’s largest business park
Steve Beel, chief executive of Freeport East, comments: “This announcement represents a real milestone in strengthening the presence of green industry in and around the Stowmarket and wider Freeport East area. As well as direct job creation, the investment will provide opportunities to build strong local R&D relationships with universities and drive the development of the skills and innovation cluster at Gateway 14.
“With close proximity to the Port of Felixstowe and the flexibility of the freeport customs model, locating in Freeport East provides Assan Panel with the ideal base from which to serve both UK and European markets. We are confident this is a model that will encourage other international manufacturers to consider Freeport East as a future strategic location.”
Gateway 14, led by Mid Suffolk District Council-owned Gateway 14 Ltd with development partner, Jaynic, is next to the A14 at Stowmarket and offers tax reliefs and simplified customs arrangements for manufacturing, logistics, and R&D firms residing over the 2.36 million sq. ft. of accommodation.
