Breedon Group plc is set to increase production of Welsh Slate roofing slates at its Penrhyn Quarry in North Wales with the installation of a state-of-the-art saw line costing £750,000.

The new line is intended to meet sustained demand for the slates, which are widely specified internationally for their durability, distinctive colour and long lifespan. It will also help ensure more of the slate extracted from the company's quarries is put to use.

The investment is expected to increase the company's roofing slate production capacity by an additional 8,000 per week.

Welsh Slate is quarried at Penrhyn, Ffestiniog and Cwt-y-Bugail, then broken down into manageable raw blocks. These are processed on existing saw lines before being split into roofing slates, either by machine or by skilled operators using traditional hand-splitting. Historically, some raw blocks have been too small to process efficiently.

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Developed and built in-house by a dedicated engineering team, the new saw line is designed specifically to cut and size these smaller raw blocks more efficiently. This enables the production of smaller roofing slates, reduces waste by using more of the extracted material, and will operate alongside other automated machines, with Welsh Slate's well-known hand-splitting continuing on site.

Barry O'Connor, General Manager – Welsh Slate, Special Aggregates and Circular Economy at Breedon, said: "This investment represents an important step for Welsh Slate and for Penrhyn Quarry. By introducing this state-of-the-art saw line we can signifi cantly increase production capacity while also making better use of the slate extracted from the quarries.

"It means material that was previously too small to process can now be brought into production, helping us reduce waste while supporting the skilled teams who continue to split and dress our high quality slates.

"Penrhyn Quarry has an enduring and proud history, and this investment demonstrates our commitment to the long-term future of Welsh Slate and ensuring the site continues to supply high-quality roofi ng materials for many years to come."

Penrhyn Quarry has produced roofing slate since the 13th century and has been a cornerstone of the UK natural stone industry for more than 700 years.

Work on the project began in November, with installation completed earlier this year.