Business

Derry brothers launch new business conceived during lockdown

Brothers John, Jack and James McGilligan.
Brothers John, Jack and James McGilligan. Brothers John, Jack and James McGilligan.

THREE brothers from Co Derry have set up a new business in response to the coronavirus lockdown.

J3 Belts & Bearings Ltd started trading in Maghera in recent days, creating eight jobs.

James McGilligan (22) said the new business was the culmination of a lengthy kitchen table conversation with his brothers John (25) and Jack (20), several months ago.

“My older brother John owns a plant hire company, MFL Plant Machinery,” said James. “He was buying quite a lot of belts, bearings and hydraulic hoses.

“When lockdown hit and business went quiet, he started to think what we could do to keep the wheels turning.”

The three brothers decided to start selling the products themselves. James and Jack threw themselves full-time into the business in May after completing their university exams.

“It has been hectic,” said James. “We took over the unit in June and have been working on it. We were surprised how busy things have been.”

It hasn’t been an easy time to set up a new business. The brothers have faced challenges in accessing stock due to the coronavirus lockdown

Now up and running on the Glen Road in Magera, J3 is in the process of establishing its own e-commerce platform, selling, belts, bearings, hydraulic hoses, chains, sprockets, pulleys, fixings, argi and trailer spares.

But James said the company hopes to benefit from the concentration of manufacturing firms around them in mid Ulster.

“Mid Ulster is in many ways the engineering capital of Ireland, so we’re hoping there’s a lot of local trade businesses and engineering companies buying from us.”

He said the three brothers had grown up in a family business. Their father Finbar is the managing director of Crossfire Specialist Contracts.

“Now we’ve got our own business up and running,” said James. “It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to what the future holds."