A County Londonderry engineering company has created 39 new jobs as it expands its business outside Northern Ireland.
Kilrea-based Hutchinson Engineering, which specialises in sub-contract engineering and metal fabrication, said the move is part of a £2.2 million investment which will allow it to grow its presence in the coach building, agriculture and recycling sectors in the Republic and Great Britain. Nine of the jobs are already filled while the remainder include roles in sales, production, fabrication and welding.
CEO Mark Hutchinson said the decision to grow headcount substantially follows a recent investment in its technology, including specialist lasers.
“We’re already seeing significant time and energy savings, creating a more sustainable working model,” he said. “With this in place, we’re now in the position to further expand our operations across the coach building, agriculture, and recycling sectors.
“Creating 39 jobs to increase our capacity will ensure that we can maximise opportunities in the marketplace, such as in Republic of Ireland and Great Britain, and can take full advantage of the efficiencies of our new technologies. Our new expanded team will play a large part in driving our innovation so that we can continue our development of a world-class Industry 4.0 manufacturing environment.”
Established in 1971 by the late Creighton Hutchinson, the business is now led by his sons, Mark and Richard. It initially focused on fabricating products for the agriculture sector but has grown its offering to service a range of industries.
Invest Northern Ireland offered the business support toward the creation of the new roles.
“Hutchinson Engineering’s growth project will continue to enhance and improve its productivity and competiveness, helping the business to go grow in its new key markets and increase global sales,” George McKinney, Director of Technology, Services & Scaling, Invest NI, said. “Once in place, the jobs will contribute over £1million additional annual salaries to the economy - great news for the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area.”
