Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, visited the Ibstock brick factory on Friday 16th May.
Gavin and British Ceramic Confederation chief executive Laura Cohen were given a tour of the business’ Cannock facility.
Gavin, who used to be on the board of the British Ceramic Confederation and was heavily involved in the sector until his election in 2010, was also briefed on the latest developments within the industry.
On the visit, Gavin said: “I greatly enjoyed visiting the Ibstock factory on Friday. The company is a big UK success story and a great example of what our businesses can achieve with the right support.
“Before I was elected, I spent many years working in the ceramic sector and it was with great interest that I learnt about recent progress in the industry.”
Ibstock was founded in Leicestershire in 1899. The business bought Himley Brick Company Ltd, near Wolverhampton, in 1963, following which its shares were offered to the public for the first time.
There then followed a major expansion programme in the UK, designed to extend the products and services by the Company more widely throughout the country and eventually Western Europe.
Ibstock Brick is now the UK’s biggest brickmaker. It has 20 factories nationwide and supplies a range of over 500 different bricks and rainscreen cladding systems.
The company operates 24 brick and paver plants with a total annual capacity in excess of 900 million bricks. Furthermore, it employs a total of 1960 people across the UK and has the backing of one of the world’s largest building materials companies.
The British Ceramic Confederation represents the collective interests of all sectors of the UK ceramics manufacturing industry. Its goal is to safeguard the industry's prosperity, acting on its behalf in discussions and negotiations with government and public authorities.
As a Trade Association, BCC provides wide ranging professional advice to its members, covering employment law, health and safety, energy, emissions, planning and waste management issues. In this role it also promotes environmentally responsible and sustainable manufacturing
Gavin will be speaking at the British Ceramic Confederation’s reception on the 11th of June, in Westminster.