Aggregate Industries, provider of silica sand to the water utilities industry, has announced the acquisition of a new plant which will see the expansion of its Garside Sands range and offer customers even more variety.

The company is now the largest producer of dried silica sand in the UK. The deal means that Garside Sands can now offer a complete portfolio of technical grade sands and provides a significant increase in production and on-site storage capacity to help meet customer demand.

Richard Page, General Manager for Garside Sands, commented:

“Garside Sands has been operating since 1890, and today marks another important milestone in our history. This deal is the missing piece of the jigsaw for us in that we are now able to offer our customers an 80 grade sand as a new market entrant. This gives us a complete portfolio of technical grade sands and a doubling of our capacity to add to our enviable reserves of high quality silica sand.“

“This, combined with our market-leading service and technical knowledge, means we can offer an unrivalled silica sand supply to our customers across the UK. This recent investment demonstrates our commitment and capability to support our customers in the long term.”

The new plant, formerly owned by Sibelco, is located in Leighton Buzzard and will enhance Aggregate Industries’ existing operations in the town.

Garside Sands supplies high quality silica sands across the UK and overseas and provides material used in industrial water filtration.