About Us

Forticrete is part of CRH plc, the International Building Materials Group, which has its HQ in Ireland and employs over 66,500 people in 26 countries across 3 core business.

• Primary Materials
• Value Added Building Products
• Specialist Building Materials Distribution.

Forticrete was founded in the late 1920's as Wilkinson Brothers of Liverpool and soon became the Northern Cement Construction Company, manufacturing bricks, pipes, tiles and terracotta and after further expansion ornamental precast concrete and flagstones.

The name Forticrete started as a brand during WWII and it was in 1959 when the company became part of Roadstone, later to become CRH, that the company that exists today truly came into being.

The company continued to expand with the acquisition of Hardrow manufacturer, Robert Abraham in 1981. This was followed by Wath Concrete, Anchor Roofing and Newlay Concrete and then in 1999, CRH acquired Ibstock Brick which allowed Forticrete to incorporate the Walling and Cast Stone product range into the business.

Today Forticrete employs around 450 people across 14 manufacturing plants, offices and depots.

Forticrete's range of products is unrivalled in its field, having evolved over five decades through close collaboration with our customers. By analysing the needs of an ever-changing market and adding our own considerable technical expertise we have developed products that provide an optimum balance of aesthetics, performance and value.

Forticrete has long been the driving force at the forefront of innovation in Architectural Product development and this reputation now extends to the processes we use and the services we provide to serve the UK construction industry as a whole.

Our reputation as an innovator now also extends company-wide - our Roofing Products business unit, Gemini tile, was awarded prestigious Millennium Products status by the Design Council and subsequently was honoured by a Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation in 2001.

Our ability to continually drive our business forward is due, in no small part, to the fact that we are part of CRH plc - one of the most successful building products groups in the world, which has built its success around the philosophy of allowing entrepreneurial management of local companies.

This philosophy of devolved management creates a culture of ownership within each company, enabling it to operate with the commitment and independence of a 'family' business yet with the stability of a major international group.

The result is a dynamic fusion of people, technology, services and culture which enables us to continually push forward product and service boundaries and remain Innovators in Concrete.