Farm machines maker Claydon Drills expands Newmarket factory

Family-owned seed drill manufacturer Claydon has more than doubled its production capacity after building a new 1296m sq assembly operation on the footprint of derelict farm buildings at its headquarters in Wickhambrook, near Newmarket.

The company currently has a 65-strong workforce and hopes to add around another 30 this year - as its projected annual production soars to 400 machines.

The completion of the new building - supported by a  £267,400 Growing Business Fund Grant from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (NALEP) - means the firm will be able to expand its workforce and keep up with strong and growing demand for its patented machines.

The seed drills business was founded in 1981 by inventor and engineer Jeff Claydon - now its chief executive.

The arable farmer came up with the original seed drill design - which enables farmers to plant seeds with minimal disturbance to soils.

The company decided to expand after demand for its drills, straw harrows, light cultivators and inter-row hoes reached new heights and new markets start to open up.

"Unlike many other companies in the UK farm machinery sector which import machinery made overseas we design, test and manufacture all our products from scratch, employ local staff and benefit the UK businesses which supply us,” said Jeff.

The business started by making a real time crop yields reader called a Claydon Yield-o-Meter.

Then in 2001, when grain prices fell to levels which made combinable crop production uneconomic using traditional methods, Jeff developed his Opti-Till Direct Strip Seeding System.

Jeff was later joined by his two sons, Spencer and Oliver, who are now commercial director and operations director respectively.

Despite challenges posed by Brexit which have made transporting his goods to Europe more costly and time-consuming, the firm has become a European market leader in the technology and has seen demand for its products grown 10-fold since 2010.

In 2015, the business was awarded a New Anglia LEP grant to help the business develop in three stages.

The first stage in 2017 involved constructing new 365m sq offices next the company’s existing production facility to house its expanding customer support team. As well as housing up to 27 staff, it is includes visitor and training accommodation and meeting rooms. Around £100k was invested in solar panels providing 100kW/h of electricity.

The second stage - started in 2021 and just completed - was managed in-house but took longer than expected due to difficulties securing contractors and materials, said Jeff.

The extra space was needed as the business is growing "rapidly and massively", he said.

“Additional production capacity is needed to manufacture Claydon Opti-Till products to fulfil demand from markets all over the world, including the UK where sales have doubled," he said.

"Momentum is building strongly, helped by our presence at overseas trade shows, together with the ongoing expansion of our global network of importers, agents, and dealers in 22 countries."

Steel for the building was supplied by AJN Steelstock Ltd in Kentford near Newmarket and manufactured by Anglia Steel Portals Ltd at Red Lodge near Mildenhall.

The building was erected and clad by East Anglian company S & J Fabrications.

Street Cranes in Sheffield supplied and installed the four 3.2-tonne overhead cranes to enable better use of space in the new building and allow it to operate efficiently.

The company says it is now recruiting more staff and expects its assembly and yard area workforce area workforce to triple in 2023.

Oliver said: "This significant investment we have made in these new production facilities will help us to take a quantum leap forward to meet demand for Claydon products and is a key part of our long-term plan to develop the potential which exists all over the world."