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100 years of manufacturing in Manchester
In a year that marks our 100th year of manufacturing in Manchester, we’re reflecting on our history as we look forward to what the next 100 years may hold.
Today, we are proud to support specialists across the roofing industry – from contractors and surveyors, through to architects and specifiers – with innovative flat roofing systems, extensive technical services, design, and diagnostic technologies that underpin performance.
Over the decades, our systems have been specified for use on buildings spanning the retail, education and healthcare sectors, including notable projects such as Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 and the National Exhibition Centre.
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Finding our Manchester home
Finding our Manchester home
Our reputation for quality and reliability wasn’t built overnight. While Manchester has been our home for the last century, our history extends all the way back to 1854 when our company – then known as Anderson – was founded.
Starting life in Belfast when David Anderson developed coating fibres and hessian to make early waterproofing membranes, the business steadily grew over the following decades before Anderson made his move to Manchester.
Anderson found the perfect site in the city on which to construct his factory. As well as providing the space to build a state-of-the-art facility with space to grow, the site was served by a canal, a tributary of the Manchester Ship Canal, which was used to transport materials onto the site. A dedicated railway line was also installed to support the outward distribution of goods.
Over the following years, the broader site grew into a manufacturing hub, known today as Trafford Park – one of the most renowned industrial estates in the world.
Adapting to change
Adapting to change
In the decades after our move to Manchester, change swept across the manufacturing sector.
Changes in law saw a week of paid holiday first introduced in 1937, the five-day working week in 1955, and the reduction in the working week to 43 hours. Our business also adapted to support the war effort from 1939, prioritising government requirements as felts were used in the creation of runways.
As the business continued to grow through the 1970s and ‘80s, our Manchester site evolved further. Buildings were repurposed to accommodate changing needs, including the development of today’s offices, which began life as a warehouse that underwent conversion in the ‘70s. At this time, our site was still served by a purpose-built rail line – and the tracks are still there today, giving a glimpse into our evolution.
During this time, product innovation was also in full flow. As the pioneer of polyester-based roofing, our business contributed to a major shift change.
Our HT Polyester system was the first bitumen flat roofing system to use polyester, providing the strength and performance required for modern building structures. Other production lines were dedicated to products such as rag fibre and glass-based felts, reinforced solutions with hessian and nylon, as well as sheathing felt.
Becoming Icopal
Becoming Icopal
Almost seven decades after the production lines first started to run in Manchester, Icopal acquired the business, marking a new chapter in the company’s story that is characterised by growth, innovation and a commitment to quality.
With the launch of the Intelligent Membrane Association (IMA), alongside core solutions – Tecnatorch and Profiles – the ‘90s was a pivotal decade for Icopal, demonstrating our commitment to supporting professionals across the roofing industry with high-quality products and technical support.
Today, our state-of-the-art facility serves as the epicentre of our operations. With a team of skilled and dedicated professionals, we continue to deliver cutting-edge flat roofing systems that are transforming roofscapes across the UK.
From traditional roofs that deliver dependable performance, through to systems such as Noxite that put sustainability first, we are elevating the potential of buildings and their roofs.
In 2023 – 100 years on from when production first began in Manchester – we marked the occasion with the colleagues and contractors who have made it all possible. Alongside an exclusive tour of our Manchester facility, we hosted a celebratory dinner and recognised some of the outstanding projects that have been brought to life with Icopal.
