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Eco Group plant to create 70 jobs and address skills shortage in Scottish construction

The new facility will start by creating 12 jobs, with plans to reach 70 within five years. 

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Eco Group plant to create 70 jobs and address skills shortage in Scottish construction
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Eco Group is set to create up to 70 jobs and help ease the housing shortage with a new VASO by Eco manufacturing plant in Dumfries. 

The firm has bought a 60,000-square-feet site in the South West, doubling its footprint in the area. 

The site will make recycled glass panels for the building trade and housing sector.

The new facility will start by creating 12 jobs, with plans to reach 70 within five years. 

The manufacturing method will use less labour and mechanical equipment than traditional building, and aims to reduce the time needed to build homes. 

The panels are made from recycled glass and are designed to be affordable, energy efficient, and low carbon.

Eddie Black (pictured), founder and managing director at Eco, said: “Manufacturing VASO by Eco panels in Dumfries and Galloway will allow Scotland to be at the forefront of a building solution which will help solve the housing crisis in Scotland, the rest of the UK and in other places around the world.” 

Black explained that it takes only hours to make a VASO by Eco house offsite and a few days to put it up onsite. 

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He said it can help with the construction skills shortage because it needs less labour, and could help Governments reach housing targets.

The move comes as several reports have highlighted a shortage of homes in Scotland and called for new approaches like modular and offsite construction. 

Prosper’s “Housing Supply For A Growing Economy” report named VASO by Eco as a case study and said modern methods of construction need to be adopted faster. 

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Research by South of Scotland Regional Economic Partnership found 2,330 staff, nearly 10% of the workforce, are affected by a lack of housing in the South, and almost 80% of employers said housing made recruitment and retention harder.

Black added: “There is now a golden opportunity to embrace industrialised construction which takes the stress away from traditional supply chains and creates a housing solution through circular and advanced manufacturing. 

“We are delighted to be launching the manufacturing site at this time so that VASO By Eco’s speed and efficiency can provide a systematic solution to the housing crisis.”

Garry Legg, head of strategy, planning and partnerships at South of Scotland Enterprise, said: “There is a unanimous consensus that we must do things differently to address the housing challenge, with partners in the South of Scotland already coming together to take the action they know is required. 

“The South of Scotland is up for, and ideally placed to be, Scotland’s testbed for doing housing differently.”

The panels are covered by a 60-year Lloyds of London warranty, and the Dumfries site includes two units, one for production and one for storage, plus office and training space. 

He said: “We have spent the first 15 years of the company’s existence growing and adapting and diversifying so we can continue to be pioneers in our field. 

“Building our own 3,000 square-metre HQ in Annan in 2020-21 was an incredible milestone for the company and a testament to the skills and capability of our team. 

“Now we have something else to celebrate with a facility which is going to prove a complete game-changer for the Scottish, UK, and worldwide construction industry.”

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