Invest NI has offered over £3 million support towards its R&D, capital and skills investments. This offer will leverage the creation of a range of additional jobs at the business, predominately in engineering and manufacturing positions.
Mallaghan's principal products are high lift trucks for catering, cabin cleaning and facilitating restricted movement passengers as well as de-icing rigs, water and waste trucks, baggage conveyors and various forms of passenger stairs.
The advanced manufacturing firm is developing an airport apron bus as part of its R&D investment and expects to add this new product to its portfolio by the end of 2018.
"Mallaghan is one of the fastest-growing Airport Ground Support Equipment manufacturers worldwide and this expansion is designed to help secure the future growth of our business," said Ronan Mallaghan, CEO of Mallaghan Engineering.
“Working with Invest NI has enabled us to accelerate our investment plans, ensuring we have the manufacturing capacity and capabilities to build on our share of the high lift market. We aim to further grow our market share of the global aviation industry and will be actively targeting opportunities in the US and China.
“Expanding our product offering to include our airport bus is an exciting new direction for us which we hope will contribute to export sales from early 2019.”
Welcoming the news, Invest Northern Ireland Chief Executive, Alastair Hamilton, said: “Mallaghan Engineering is investing in production capabilities, R&D, skills and jobs in a significant expansion at its Dungannon headquarters.
“Commercial air travel is a vast and growing industry. The productivity boosting capital equipment and extensions to Mallaghan’s factory space will help the company satisfy the growing demand for ground support equipment worldwide.
“We are pleased to be able to support Mallaghan to implement measures that will help significantly expand its customer base and boost export sales. The company’s focus on innovation, leadership training and skills development will ensure that its workforce has the depth and breadth of skills and also the technology to help Mallaghan realise its growth ambitions.
“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.”
