A Newport-based aluminium building materials firm has submitted plans to add more than 75,000 sq ft of additional floorspace to it's headquarters on the west of the city, which will also incorporate a new painting facility.

AluK has also applied to Newport City Council to build a footbridge, security lodge, a direct access road and additional car parking at its base at Celtic Way, near Junction 28 of the M4.

Russell Yates, of AluK, said the firm had moved to its present 133,000 sq ft factory in 2011 from a site at Queensway Meadows on the other side of the city.

The business was set up in Crickhowell in 1994 under the name Beaufort and became AluK last year.

The firm currently leases the building but is looking to buy it, dependent on the outcome of its planning application.

Mr Yates, who is the son of one of the original founders of the firm, said it was the UK branch of an international business set up in Italy in the early 1960s.

The firm currently employs about 75 people at the Newport site and is hoping to increase this figure to up to 150 if the plans are given the go ahead when they are looked at later this summer.

AluK makes a range of aluminium windows, doors, curtain walls and other building materials, mainly for the construction industry. It's customers have included housebuilder Persimmon, Cardiff High School and Tata Steel in Port Talbot.

Mr Yates said: "We have been fortunate I guess because aluminium has seen a resurgence in the home improvement market. The commercial market was stagnent for about 18 months but that has seen a resurgence as well and we have grown market share from our competition.

"We are currently nine months into our financial year and are 52 per cent up on last year. The previous year it was eight per cent up. So we have seen massive growth this year, mainly to do with our rebrand to AluK."

Mr Yates said: "We are planning to invest significantly over the next 18 months. The new painting facility will be state-of-the-art with the latest technology and we are going to create about 20 jobs in the next 12 months on just one shift, and will be looking to go to three shifts over the next few years."

He said the firm was also strengthening its HR, sales and research and development departments.

Mr Yates said the planning application was likely to be determined at the September meeting of the Newport City Council planning committee.