Bathroom manufacturer Kohler Mira has officially opened its new multi-million pound national distribution centre in Worcester.
The Cheltenham-based firm, known for its Mira Showers brand, has been developing the new fully automated facility for more than two years, with its managing director previously telling BusinessLive it represented a £28m investment.
Kohler Mira said the 150,000 sq ft building, which has a 10,000 pallet capacity, would allow it to process orders three times faster and better link deliveries across its manufacturing sites around the UK.
Built on an 11.25-acre site, the centre has recently been recognised by the Bathroom Manufacturers Association and received BREEAM accreditation for its environmentally sustainable design.
The company added that there was “room to grow and expand” the site as business, channels, and customer requirements evolves.
The opening forms part of celebrations for the Mira Showers brand’s centenary of trading, and follows a visit from HRH The Princess Royal, who opened a new flexible workspace at its headquarters in Cheltenham earlier this year.
David Kohler, the president and chief executive of the brand’s US parent company Kohler, attended the opening of the Worcester centre.
Craig Baker, managing director of Kohler Mira, said: "Our team worked tirelessly to design this state-of-the-art facility, and it has been great to see the first orders processed during our hundredth year.
“With innovative technologies throughout, it has been built with customer needs in mind, and will allow us to make sure they receive the very best service for years to come.
“We are delighted to welcome David Kohler for the officially opening, highlighting our continued commitment to and investment in manufacturing in the UK.”
Mira Showers was originally founded in London in 1921 as Walker, Crosweller and Co by Scottish engineer James MacFarlane Walker to import gauges for boilers.
The company went on to develop the world’s first thermostatic shower before later moving to the Whaddon Works in Cheltenham in 1937.
It developed its first instant electric showers in the 1970s when the Mira brand name was extended to cover all mixing valve and flow control products marketed in the UK, while its Rada brand was introduced to international export markets.
The company changed its name to Caradon Mira in the 1980s and then became part of the Kohler company as Kohler Mira in 2001, in a deal worth £300m.
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