PLANS to build a £150 million factory in Co Antrim have been delayed by at least a year, The Irish News understands.
Drinks can manufacturer Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) secured planning approval in August 2022 for a new 460,000 sq ft facility at Invest NI’s Global Point Business Park in Newtownabbey.
It was understood that AMP Europe, a subsidiary of the New York listed Ardagh Group, had been keen to break ground as soon as possible.
The factory is expected to create around 160 permanent jobs once fully operational.
When the project was first announced in November 2021, the group's European chief executive, David Spratt indicated that AMP hoped to be operational at the Co Antrim site during 2023.
But it’s understood that work on the site is now unlikely to begin until 2024.
With the construction project expected to last 14 months, it could be late 2025 or early 2026 before the factory is operational.
It’s thought that part of the delay relates to the duration of the process to transfer the land at Global Point from Invest NI to AMP. The Irish News understands the land acquisition has not yet been completed.
When asked for an update on the land deal, a spokesperson for Invest NI said it only comments “on those projects which we have formally announced”.
Sources familiar with the project have suggested a bigger factor in the delay is the wider economic environment.
The latest results published by Ardagh for its AMP Europe subsidiary show adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) fell by $81m (£65m) 29 per cent last year.
The group said it “principally reflected input cost headwinds and increased operating costs”.
Industry monitor CIS Ireland has also reported that the entire project is “on hold due to some re-design requirements”.
CIS said Buckinghamshire-based TSL Projects Limited has already been appointed as the main contractor for the build.
AMP’s plan represents one of the single biggest ever cash investments in new production capability in the north.
It was originally announced as part of a wider multi-billion-dollar investment strategy by the packaging giant for “new, infinitely recyclable, metal packaging capacity” in Europe, North America and Brazil.
AMP said the Co Antrim factory is being developed to serve the growing needs of its customers in Ireland, the UK and Europe.
It will also supply Coca-Cola HBC’s operation in Lisburn.
