Diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning and refurbishment specialist, Ceramex, has more than doubled its operating capacity with the opening of a brand-new facility in Reading. The new site will be able to process more than 2,500 DPFs per week.

Representing an investment of over £3 million, Ceramex commissioned part of the 67,000 square-foot Reading site as its logistics hub during the first Covid-19 lockdown, as restrictions delayed the fit-out process. This afforded more storage capacity for DPF units, allowing rapid turnaround for deliveries and despatch, so that the company’s existing Slough facility could operate more effectively with social distancing measures implemented.

Having seen demand for commercial vehicle DPF cleaning start to ramp up again, Colin Lewis, Managing Director of Ceramex, said: “As early signs of market recovery emerge, we are starting to return to pre-pandemic levels of DPF cleaning volume, due in part to increased logistics fleet activity. As this continues, Ceramex is therefore delighted to open the doors to its new DPF refurbishment facility in Reading, which will enable the business to service the growing needs of our pan-European customer base.

“This expansion will reaffirm our focus on helping customers to achieve renewed momentum” – Colin Lewis, MD of Ceramex

“With tighter EU emission controls and standard fitment of DPFs, demand for cleaning and refurbishment is on a steady upward trajectory. Ensuring that we can handle future customer demand is extremely important to Ceramex, so this significant facility upgrade investment will not only cement our market leading position but also the company’s capability to handle significantly more volume in the coming years.

“This expansion will reaffirm our focus on helping customers to achieve renewed momentum and also highlight the importance of efforts being made to improve air quality by minimising vehicle emissions.”