History

Investment in renewable energy technology in the form of a wood pellet fuelled biomass boiler began, supplying closed system hot water to our concrete moulds to accelerate the curing process. Wood pellet fuel is “carbon neutral” and greatly reduces process carbon emissions.

Andy Mayne takes over as Managing Director.

Milbank begins to manufacture spiral stairs – the Kallisto Stairs brand is born.

Precast concrete composting vessels and maturation tunnels were developed and delivered. A joint venture with a German company – Bock (UK) Ltd was established to sell silage clamp solutions to the Anaerobic Digestion sector.

Sean Milbank joined the company as MD and led the restructuring of the business as a result of the economic downturn. The business rebased itself at Earls Colne. The business was renamed Milbank Concrete Products Limited.

3 factories were built to produce hollowcore and specialist precast concrete products. Milbank Trucks had grown to a fleet of over 100 lorries.

A Belgian brick faced wall system was launched and the first project completed.

Milbank Roofs Ltd was established importing structural insulated roof systems for the properties with room in the roof construction.

A new 40 acre site was purchased in Brandon, Norfolk to meet the increased demand required for house building.

Planning Application submitted to erect a new factory on a nearby site at Earls Colne. The application was called in by the Secretary of State for a public inquiry and we withdrew our planning application.

Planning permission granted for a new factory so the production of precast stairs and other products could be made in a controlled environment. The start of manufacture of Montex car park deck slabs used in steel framed car park construction.

Building works to the factory building and concrete batching plant undertaken to accommodate hollowcore production with 100m long beds. Hollowcore production commenced.

Outline planning permission obtained for a hollowcore factory on the second piece of land but after further research it was concluded that the production capacity of the existing building could be modified to incorporate hollowcore production without the lead time and cost implications of a new factory.

A further three acres at Earls Colne was acquired adjacent to the existing site.

Milbank Trucks Limited was formed to service the transport needs of Milbank Floors and to expand into a self-offload transport business.

The site at Howe Street was sold for a housing development and the company moved the whole operation to Earls Colne. A second self-offload lorry was purchased.

A new three acre site was found on a disused airfield at Earls Colne.

The first self-offload lorry with a rear mounted crane was purchased to make the installation of precast house floors to single plots more cost effective and to service the increasing proportion of supply only orders.

Milbank Floors commenced production of a new type of floor construction for the housing market, comprising 150mm concrete beams with standard building blocks spanning between them. These ‘beam and block’ house floors soon became accepted within the building industry.

Jeremy Milbank a qualified engineer and John’s younger brother, joins the team. Milbank start to manufacture precast concrete stairs.

Following Geoffrey’s death, John Milbank, aged 20, took over the running of the company.

High tensile wire became available and the manufacture of prestressed concrete floor units commenced. Inverted channel beams and concrete beam and clay pot floors being the initial products. In the following 10 years concrete framed buildings were added to the product range and many agricultural buildings were erected. A double decker bus was purchased and converted in to living accommodation for the fixing gang when they worked away from home. Milbank presses were developed to crush concrete test cubes. These were sold all over the world.

Geoffrey Milbank patented his design for precast concrete reinforced beams and established Milbank Floors Limited.

Geoffrey Milbank developed the Milbank Air Raid Shelter and along with pill boxes many were built during the Second World War.

G Milbank & Son was founded at Howe Street near Chelmsford as builders, joiners and undertakers.