THE biggest investment by Quinn Industrial Holdings Ltd so far looks set to secure the company’s place as a major player in the food packaging industry.
On Tuesday the company announced they were to invest over €3 million (£2.3m) in a new PET sheet extrusion line at their Ballyconnell-based Quinn Packaging plant, which will take the company to the next level in food packaging.
When the machine, which will be fully commissioned by mid-2016 and has been supplied by Austrian company SML, is up and running it will provide additional capacity to further develop its meat tray and PET sheet, a type of thermoplastic polymer used in a variety of food containers, business. The machine will also feature a special ‘Vacurema’ recycling feature which will allow the company to take used bottles and make them into food contact approved PET sheets.
Mark McKenna, General Manager of Quinn Packaging, said the major investment was of key strategic importance to the company: “This investment in Quinn Packaging will allow the company to further develop its presence within the rigid food packaging sector and represents a commitment to our customers, suppliers, employees and also the local community.
“We believe that the extra investment being made in the Vacurema recycling system as part of the new extrusion line will give us a competitive advantage over many of our competitors by allowing us to replace virgin polymer material with recycled material and still produce a higher quality sheet.”
Since taking control of Quinn Packaging and Construction Industry Supply businesses in December 2014, Quinn Industrial Holdings Ltd have created almost 100 new jobs at their plants in Derrylin in Fermanagh and Ballyconnell in Cavan.
At their 19,000m2 Ballyconnell production facility the company manufactures a range of packaging products with a workforce of over 140 people. Their products include rigid packaging for the food industry, such as meat and poultry trays, mushroom punnets, dairy spread containers, and thin gauge sheet for form, fill and seal application. They also provide flexible packaging for industrial and agricultural application, such as shrink/stretch hoods and silage wrap.
In October 2015 the company took delivery of three new Quinn lorries as part of phase one of major four-year capital investment programme to replenish the 140-strong Quinn haulage fleet at Gortmullan, Derrylin. The first delivery was part of an initial 12 unit. The fleet will include new ‘rooftile grab’ lorries as well as articulated tractor units and new cement tankers.
Fermanagh MLA Sean Lynch has welcomed the investment announcement, describing it as a timely boost to the region’s employment prospects.
“At this moment when the economy in the Republic is recovering strongly it is good to see an upturn in business at Quinn. I hope that this will make the company more secure and lead to more jobs for those living in Fermanagh. At Christmas time I heard so many stories of local people working away from home in England and Scotland so it’s encouraging to see this potential for more employment opportunites in the area.
“I hope that this is just the beginnng of bigger things for the company. This announcement only proves that it was the right move to involve Sean Quinn in the running of his former business given his wide knowledge of the area,” he added.
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