PERMADOOR, the Upton-based maker of plastic composite doors, is launching a £10 million expansion programme.

The firm has just signed a lease on factory premises at the Spring Lane Industrial Estate in Malvern.

The 30,000 sq ft factory will meet increasing demand for the firm's growing product range. It will double Permadoor's production capacity over the next two years and create new jobs, though the exact number is not known.

Permadoor introduced the first composite doors to the UK 16 years ago. It has since become a major supplier of doors to local authorities and housing associations, as well as builders' merchants and DIY retail outlets.

The company started life in Malvern in 1983, as Door Panels Ltd and the family-run firm moved to Upton in 1988. In 1994, it was taken over by Epwin Group PLC, which still owns it.

In 1995, its headquarters and main factory at Minge Lane, Upton, was supplemented by a second plant in Tewkesbury.

Another bout of expansion came in 2001, when the company opened its third factory at the Enigma Business Park in Malvern. It now employs 145, nearly treble the number of workers ten years ago.

The firm developed its products to deal with the problems such as warping and twisting associated with traditional timber doors

The new factory is scheduled to open later in the year.