A KEIGHLEY company is marking a milestone with a £2 million investment programme.

Stell Cardboard Tubes, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, has launched a full modernisation and 'resilience building' strategy.

The firm, based in Royd Ings Avenue, is increasing its production capacity by more than a quarter and has added to its workforce – it now employs more than 120 people.

Stell, which operates from a 100,000 sq ft factory, is one of the UK's largest cardboard core and tube manufacturers.

It produces around 16,000 kilometres of tubes every year for a range of customers – from industrial, textiles, label and tape cores and packaging to carpet centres and the pyrotechnics industry.

Managing director, Lee Skelton, says: "Our cardboard tubes and cores are crucial to the continuity and successful operation of our customers' factories, which are manufacturing everything from textiles to plastic film.

"Our products need to be of the highest quality to ensure that customers can run their businesses without interruption. That is what we’ve been at the cutting edge of for the past 150 years, and will continue to be for the next 150.

"We are investing in the future by increasing capacity with state-of-the-art core cutting equipment, and we’ve increased our workforce by 20 per cent. This builds our resilience and that of all our customers, whom we thank for playing a part in what we are today."

As part of its modernisation strategy, the company has also invested in sustainable power technology – including a biomass boiler and solar energy.

And it has created a bespoke training programme, led by its packaging engineers, for new recruits into the business.

The firm was founded by John Stell and for the first 20 years was based at Worth Mill.

It then moved to Holme Mills, off Fell Lane, which would remain its home until 2015.

Since then the firm has occupied its current, purpose-built premises.

Stell is now run by the fifth generation of the family and many of its employees have clocked up between 25 and 50 years’ service.

At an anniversary event earlier this year, one employee ­– Dave Wilson – received a 50-year long service award ahead of his retirement.

Mr Skelton adds: "We are incredibly proud of our family roots and how we’ve remained at the forefront of the UK’s cardboard tube manufacturing industry, and we’re excited to build for the future."