A multi-million pound investment will see Co Tyrone aviation manufacturing firm Mallaghan double its workforce, taking on 210 new staff.
Family-run company Mallaghan Engineering currently employs 206 staff and manufactures ground support equipment for aviation including catering trucks, de-icing rigs, passenger stairs and cabin trucks.
The business is extending its premises in Dungannon as well as investing in upskilling its workforce.
Economic development agency Invest NI is also providing assistance of £3m towards its research and development, and capital and skills investment.
The company is developing an airport bus as part of its research and development investment.
Alastair Hamilton, CEO, Invest Northern Ireland and Ronan Mallaghan, CEO, Mallaghan Engineering
Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton said: “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 £5m annually in additional salaries to the Northern Ireland economy.”
Ronan Mallaghan, CEO of Mallaghan Engineering, said: “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.
“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.”