Business

Engineering firm workforce trebles

A LISBURN engineering firm has almost trebled its workforce in the past three years following a £1.5 million investment plan.

KME Steelworks has put the money into new processing equipment and the expansion has seen staff grow from 12 in 2012 to 33. Company director Jason Quinn said the growth was due to improvement in several sectors including construction, renewable energy and specialist automotive industries. "The investment is part of a long term plan to grow the business which is beginning to expand beyond the UK and Ireland markets. We manufacture steel precast concrete moulds for use in the civil engineering, construction and agriculture sectors and are now expanding into other markets which require the precision offered by top of the range laser cutting equipment," he said.

The firm has two core areas of business, a sub-contract laser cutting and fabrication service and a specialist precast concrete steel mould design and manufacturing service. Co-director Seamus Murchan is responsible for business development. "KME's success is based on our ability to supply exactly what is required by our clients in terms of quality, service and price. We work hard at building strong client relationships and this investment was necessary to enable us to provide an even higher level of service," he said. "We have an enthusiastic team of employees and the new equipment has meant further training and new job creation. "One of our biggest challenges is recruitment; the demand for young graduates, design engineers, specialist computer controlled machine operators and other skilled personnel is becoming even more competitive than ever." "We are grateful for the assistance received from Invest NI in areas of work where guidance was welcome and this includes marketing and training."