AN expanding Cross Hills chemicals manufacturer has invested £500,000 in three new vehicles for its distribution fleet to meet growing demand.

The move has created two new drivers’ jobs in the 23-strong transport department, which last year completed 32,000 deliveries.

It puts family-run Airedale Chemical, based in Skipton Road, in a stronger position to deliver its own-manufactured chemicals to markets across the UK and Europe.

Last year Airedale recruited 35 extra staff, taking the workforce to 115, and moved to 24 hours a day, seven days a week operations across three shifts.

Airedale, which operates from a 6,500 sq m site, including nearly 5,600 sq m of warehousing, now produces or distributes 70,000 tonnes of material annually.

The latest fleet additions include a road train curtain-sided vehicle to store intermediate bulk container and packaged chemicals; a rubber-lined barrel tanker designed for distributing hydrochloric acid and ferric-based chemicals along with a vehicle which conforms to European specifications for delivering chemicals such as phosphoric acid.

Graham Bird, transport manager, said: “As the company has grown year-on-year, so has our product range and, conversely, the volume and reach of our deliveries.

“Meeting this demand has meant our fleet has doubled in the last three years and with these latest vehicle additions, it is set to continue growing.

“Until now we had used external haulage to transport some chemical types however the lack of control over availability and costs prompted us to invest in our own rubber-lined tanker which gives us complete flexibility over deliveries meaning we can meet customers’ requirements instantly.”

All of Airedale Chemical’s drivers are trained to meet stringent international dangerous goods transport regulations.

Established in 1973 by the late Brian Chadwick, Airedale Chemical is now headed by his son Richard and specialises in the manufacture of industrial chemicals, surfactants, phosphates, phosphonates and dye stuff to a range of market sectors.