Opco starts refurbishment of Meritor's WWII brakes factory in Cwmbran, South Wales9th January 2013

Opco has started work on a major alteration and adaption scheme at Meritor’s WWII era vehicle brakes factory in Cwmbran, South Wales.

The project, at the US engineering giant’s factory at Grange Road, includes the construction of new machine pits and bases. The work also involves the creation of acoustic rooms to house latest test machinery being brought onto the site, which is close to the centre of Gwent new town.

The £210,000, 11-week works are just part of a multi million pound investment being pumped into the Cwmbran facility which includes major refurbishment of the existing facilities and the transformation of a site, built during the Second World War, into an ultra-modern facility.

The new factory will be equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and systems, including fully automated assembly lines.

Opco Managing Director Nigel Coulter said: “We’re please to be working closely with major international manufacturing concern Meritor to help deliver the transformation at this close on 70 year old site.

“Our works, phase 1B of 2020 Test Laboratories at Meritor, include the close co-ordination with the Meritor 2020 team to manage the installation of the new machinery into the completed rooms.

“We are involved in the alterations, adaptations, demolitions and additions to existing premises in order to provide new test laboratory space on the ground floor together with associated work.   

Meritor, a US based company, is a worldwide braking leader in both size and capability for the commercial vehicle industry, supplying more than two million brake assemblies per year for trucks, trailers, buses and coaches.