AN international business based in Truro is aiming to provide a safer alternative to aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on high rise buildings.

CN Terracotta is combining British design and engineering expertise with the latest technology and innovation based on 2,000 year old Chinese production methods to provide a safer, cost effective alternative to cladding tall buildings.

The company was founded by brothers Bill, Andrew and Roy Hakin who grew up and were educated in Plymouth.

CN Terracotta’s UK general manager, Roy Hakin, said: “Our aim is to provide a safer, non-combustible, high quality and cost effective solution to cladding high rise buildings.”

“It’s an incredibly important and emotive topic at the moment, and it is vital that this issue is addressed to ensure people’s safety.”

Latest Government figures highlight that there are 470 tower blocks of 18 storeys or above in the UK in need of immediate remedial action to remove unsafe cladding.

Roy added: “We’ve already seen the number of high rise buildings in need of immediate action to replace ACM cladding increase from 311 in May to 470 in June, and there are likely to be more that follow.

“Of those, only 19 have had their dangerous cladding replaced to date.”

The company has offices in the UK, New Zealand and Australia and a factory in China that produces the panels to any size, finish or design.

Roy said: “High quality terracotta and Chinese innovation go hand in hand - think of the Terracotta Army, still standing, hundreds of years later.”

“We’ve harnessed that technology to produce safe and sustainably sourced panels that meet strict international safety regulations to help make high rise buildings safer.”