FEATURE
Early days – How the Billingham site looked from the air in the early 1960s .
Everybody needs good neighbours
CF plans celebrations at Christmas to mark 100 years of fertiliser production .
WORDS : SARAH WALKER PICTURES : TOM BANKS
Process – Fertiliser is produced in tiny pellets known as prills .
Being a good neighbour has seen CF Fertilisers celebrate a century as a pillar of the local community .
In fact , Billingham town as we know it today is only here because of the iconic plant , with its cooling towers and large towers featuring the CF logo an historic part of Teesside ’ s skyline .
The Billingham Synthonia Cricket Club and Billingham Synthonia Football Club get their names from the product the plant creates , synthetic ammonium nitrates , and Billingham ’ s history is intertwined with the plant .
Keith Brudenell , general manager at the Billingham plant , explains : “ Synthetic Ammonia & Nitrates Limited was the original company .
“ It started production on Christmas Eve in 1923 , so we are in our 100th year of production and that anniversary is coming up .
“ It was set up to make ammonium nitrate and we ’ re still making ammonium nitrate products today .”
Demand for the firm ’ s product is stronger than ever , with record production in recent years .
In fact , the need to feed eight billion people on the planet creates such a demand from farmers for CF ’ s fertiliser that as soon as it is produced it is distributed across the UK .
“ The site was the start of ICI on Teesside and a lot of that has disappeared now – but we are still here ,” Keith says .
“ We ’ ve been through difficult times recently with energy prices , but even in a recession there ’ s a constant demand for our fertiliser .
“ When times are hard you might not buy a new car , get a new kitchen or go on holiday , but people usually feed the family and for us to get food , farmers need fertiliser .”
108 | Tees Business