Northern Ireland firm Mallaghan Engineering is to create 200 jobs as part of a multimillion pound expansion in Co Tyrone.
The Dungannon-headquartered company manufactures airport ground-support equipment which is used by airlines and ground-handling companies around the world.
Thousands of airline passengers every day use products designed and developed by the family-owned business such as the “autonomous self-docking passenger stair”, while its range of high-lift trucks for catering and cabin-cleaning play a role in keeping airports and airlines around the world running smoothly.
According to Ronan Mallaghan, chief executive of Mallaghan Engineering, the company, first established in the 1960s, was today “one of the fastest-growing airport ground-support equipment manufacturers worldwide”.
“We aim to further grow our market share of the global aviation industry, and will be actively targeting opportunities in the US and China,” Mr Mallaghan said on Monday in Dungannon.
He said the company planned to invest in significant new product development, which would include a new airport apron bus, and also expand its factory in Tyrone, which would deliver a major jobs boost for the area.
As well as investing in additional manufacturing equipment, Mallaghan intends to introduce an extensive training programme to boost skills in the area.
Financial support
The North’s regional business development agency Invest Northern Ireland is backing the company’s expansion with more than £3 million (€3.4m) of financial support.
Invest Northern Ireland’s chief executive Alastair Hamilton said the expansion at its Tyrone headquarters would position the company to meet a growing demand for ground-support equipment.
“This announcement is fantastic news for mid-Ulster and Northern Ireland’s manufacturing industry. The 210 additional staff the company expects to recruit over the next five years will, once in place, generate over £5 million annually in additional salaries to the Northern Ireland economy.”
