A CO Tyrone specialist joinery manufacturer has announced plans to create 150 jobs in an £8 million expansion of the business.
Woodmarque, located near Dungannon, has built a reputation across Ireland and the UK for manufacturing fire doors.
The company said the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which claimed 72 lives in London in 2017, had resulted in a series of significant refurbishment schemes across the UK and in London in particular.
The escalation of such projects has created a surge in demand for Woodmarque’s fire safety products.
It has fed into a period of sustained growth over the past four years for the business, which also supplies turn-key joinery solutions for the hospitality, residential, office and retail sectors.
Recent projects include the Intercontinental O2 Hotel in London and Dublin Landings Apartments along the North Wall Quay.
Woodmarque has been owned and operated by the Quinn family since 1977.
It is now planning to increase its workforce of 58 by 30 people per year over the next five years, as part of an £8m growth plan.
The investment will involve the construction of an additional 100,000 sq ft of floor space, effectively doubling the factory along the A4 dual carriageway.
Managing director Ronan Quinn said: “The Grenfell Tower tragedy has resulted in huge refurbishment schemes across the UK, in particular in London. As a leading fire door manufacturer this has led to increased demand for our fire door and screen products as many councils seek to refurbish and upgrade their building.”
But he said the expansion will heavily focus on the future of the business, with a new research and development centre and an apprenticeship key sills area in the works.
“We plan to double our current floor space which will enable us to develop new and existing products and seek further business opportunities across other sectors.
“The additional warehouse and storage space will also help to make our business more resilient allowing us to store more production materials and completed product,” he said.
“This will help to provide certainty to clients and help protect against any negative supply chain problems caused by Brexit.”
Mr Quinn continued: “We are committed to innovation as a means of driving future growth in the company and this investment aligned with R&D and testing will be key in development of products and processes.
“This investment represents a real boost for the local workforce and will provide excellent opportunities for apprentices, graduates and experienced professionals who want to make their mark in a growing company.’’
