F Ball 125th anniversary celebration begins with Royal visit
HRH The Duke of Kent visited the Staffordshire headquarters of F BALL AND CO recently to mark the company’s 125th anniversary and officially open its newstateof-the-artmanufacturing facility and training centre.
FBall chairman, Geoffrey Ball, says: ‘It was an honour and a privilege to receive a visit from His Royal Highness, The Duke of Kent. His presence, time and the interest in our company are valued, much appreciated.’
Speaking after unveiling a commemorative plaque, The Duke said: ‘It is a great pleasure to visit this company. I know many companies have found trading conditions a struggle at times, so it is great to hear how FBall and Co have strongly established themselves in the market. This success is down to you, the
workforce, and I wish you every success in the future.’
Guests, including local dignitaries and retired FBall employees, then toured the factory and training centre,
representing an £8m investment. The new 30,000sq ft factory was designed to meet increased demand for the company’s Stopgap smoothing underlayments.The facility has substantially increased the site’s output and has capacity for future production expansion. The company’s on-site training centre delivers courses on subfloor preparation and adhesive selection to flooring contractors, free of charge.
A family-owned business since 1886, FBall is today chaired by Geoffrey W Ball, great grandson of the company’s founder. First producing glues and dyes for the shoe and leather trade, it began making floor smoothing products and adhesives for contract flooring in the 1960s.
FBall values the loyalty of its staff – 20 of its 130 employees have been with the company for over 25 years.
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