Factory extension plans unveiled

TG Eakin Ltd has recently been granted planning permission to extend our County Down based headquarters which will lead to the creation of more than 25 new jobs.

TG Eakin Ltd has recently been granted planning permission to extend our County Down based headquarters which will lead to the creation of more than 25 new jobs. The £6 million investment will see a 5000m2 extension to the current premises at Ballystockart with the creation of five additional production lines.

The current factory at Ballystockart has already been extended twice to meet the growing demands of the business. Back in 2001 as Eakin began moving into more international markets, an extension to the factory premises was undertaken and then again in 2008 the office and factory premises were extended once again to coincide with the company’s significant growth.

The new extension which will double the size of the existing premises, is expected to start at the beginning of 2012 with an anticipated completion date of early 2013. To mark the granting of planning permission, Jim Shannon MP and Mayor of Ards Borough Council Alderman Mervyn Oswald visited the Factory to meet with staff and senior management and view for themselves the extension proposals.

Managing Director, Jeremy Eakin expressed his pride and satisfaction with the recent planning approval which he felt assured would lead to the next stage of development of TG Eakin Ltd.

“TG Eakin Ltd is both a family owned and locally based company and we are pleased that we are able to continue to remain at Ballystockart and bring additional employment to the area with this substantial investment. The extension to our premises will enable us to increase our production levels and continue to develop new products in order to maintain and hopefully increase our market share in a very competitive market.

Our company has seen significant development in recent years, with our turnover increasing by over 50% since 2009. We now export our products to over 30 countries worldwide. The cooperation of the Planning Department and local representatives has been a major factor in helping us achieve this result in these difficult times.”

Member of Parliament for the local area, Jim Shannon also commented:

“This project is one which I have been involved with for some time and I am delighted to see it coming to fruition. We are pleased to see the continued success of this local manufacturing based firm and welcome the news of its forthcoming expansion and the consequent creation of new jobs in the Co Down area. TG Eakin Ltd is a great example of a Northern Ireland company exporting and excelling on a worldwide level and all efforts should be made to support its continued success”.