Engineering business KME Steelworks is expanding its workforce in Lisburn to help leverage the growing opportunities which exist for its precision engineering subcontract services and precast concrete mould products globally.

Main supplier of bespoke steel moulds for use in precast concrete industry

KME is a leading provider of subcontract services to a wide range of equipment manufacturers. It is also recognised as a main supplier of bespoke steel moulds for use in the precast concrete industry with applications ranging from road traffic barriers to complex arch bridge sections. Recruitment is under way to employ 47 additional staff across the business in a range of positions. A third of the new jobs are already in place, with staff now located at KME’s new headquarters at the Green, Lambeg, Lisburn. Company directors Jason Quinn and Seamus Murchan are pleased with the growth achieved over the past five years. “Growing our workforce with support from Invest Northern Ireland is central to our business strategy and we are delighted with the calibre of new recruits who have joined us so far," said Quinn. Murchan said: “We aim to further increase production capacity and the range of services offered to our customers over the next three years. Our new 55,000-sq-ft facility houses state of the art material processing equipment which enables us to maintain our competitive advantage in our target markets."

Materials handling, construction, quarrying and aggregates, recycling and agriculture markets

KME’s products target the materials handling, construction, quarrying and aggregates, recycling and agriculture markets. The subcontract services are predominately supplied to multinational engineering businesses in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland and are subsequently exported across the world, while precast moulds products are supplied direct to customers in the UK and export markets. Bill Montgomery, director of advanced manufacturing & engineering, Invest NI, said: “KME Steelworks is part of an important cluster of engineering companies developing innovative solutions for the Materials Handling and Construction industry. The business has achieved sustained levels of growth in recent years and we are pleased to be helping KME implement its current expansion plans. "Investing in upgraded machine technologies and creating 47 new jobs demonstrates KME’s ambition to continue building its customer base and reputation for excellence across its key markets." Invest NI has offered KME Steelworks £338,000 to support the recruitment of 47 jobs, the majority of which are in engineering roles. A total of 18 of the jobs are already created with the remainder expected to be in place in the next two years.