BELFAST-headquartered Blk Box is creating 16 jobs and investing £2 million to expand its manufacturing capabilities to meet growing demand across Europe for its strength and conditioning equipment.
The investment, which is supported by Invest NI, will see the company instal new laser cutting equipment and a state-of-the-art paint line.
The new jobs in sales, engineering, manufacturing and warehouse operatives will have average salaries of around £25,000 and bring the company’s headcount at its Titanic Quarter base to 75.
Chief executive Greg Bradley, who founded Blk Box eight years ago, says the firm has experienced ongoing high demand from elite performance athletes and teams, as well as a significant increase in e-commerce sales for the home gym market.
“We work with elite athletes in many different sporting arenas, from Jonathan Rea to Irish Rugby, Premier League footballers, and sports teams internationally. This will continue to be a priority area for us,” he says.
“We’re also seeing strong demand for home gym equipment and see significant opportunity to develop this side of the business further and grow our online sales.
“To facilitate this, we’re investing in our manufacturing process and infrastructure to maximise our production and distribution capabilities as we respond to changing consumer behaviours in the fitness industry.”
Invest NI’s multi sector director John Hood said: “This is a significant investment by Blk Box which will assist it to move into the crucial next stage of its growth strategy.
“Investments like this are critical to Northern Ireland’s economic recovery. The new staff combined with our support for new equipment will help the company to capitalise on current and future opportunities, develop new products and ultimately increase exports.”
