Economy Minister Dr has announced that
mobile crushing and screening equipment manufacturer, Roco, is
investing £2.5m in a factory expansion and 30 new jobs.
The investment will double the company's headcount to increase
capacity and productivity after it secured £8m in export sales
over the last 12 months.
Speaking at a visit to the company's Crossmaglen factory, the
Minister said: Roco's export success shows how local firms can
compete on the global stage. This investment will boost
productivity, create high-quality jobs in Crossmaglen and help
strengthen the local economy, supporting my vision of a more
regionally balanced economy.
Roco's mobile crushing and screening equipment is used in the
construction, quarrying and recycling industries to reduce the
size of rubble and screen the materials into various sizes.
Roco's machines are hybrid electric and are currently sold across
Britain and Ireland, the US and European markets.
Shane Connolly, Roco CEO, said: To grow our business we need to
improve the quality of our products and reduce our lead times.
We've realised that to do this, we need to expand our facility
and our workforce, to bring more assembly production work
in-house.
This will not only improve our efficiencies but also our
productivity. We will be able to double the amount of machinery
options we offer so that we can attract even more new customers
in international markets following our recent export wins.
Invest NI has offered the company £210,000 of support towards the
creation of the 30 jobs. Roles across production, design, finance
and sales are available, with seven of the jobs already in place.
Alistair Quinn, Invest NI's Head of Southern Regional Business,
said: Since 2020, we have worked in close partnership with Roco
to build its capability and unlock international opportunities.
Our support for the company to attend AGG1 in the US, and its
attendance at the Northern Ireland pavilion at Hillhead
contributed towards these impressive export wins.
It's great to support the company to double its Crossmaglen
workforce now. Along with the support to grow its headcount, our
trade team has connected Shane with our in-market teams in the US
and Middle East to develop opportunities in Mexico, Europe and
Asia. We're looking forward to seeing where this investment takes
the company next.
