The Northern Irish company intends to increase automation, expand its facility and broaden its teams.
Tyrone-based snack provider Mackle Food Company has today (10 February) announced plans to invest more than £6m into an expansion of the Dungannon facility, which will result in improved automation, increased productivity and the generation of 32 jobs.
Mackle Food Company was founded in 2005 by Joseph Mackle. The business creates snacks for niche markets such as the health food sector, organic foods, and snacks for babies and toddlers.
The new jobs are expected to be across a range of areas, including robotics, engineering and IT automation support roles. The move is strongly backed by development agency Invest Northern Ireland, which gave the organisation £970,000, as the first participant of the agri-food investment initiative, which is open to agri-food and drink processors in Northern Ireland.
Gráinne Moody, the director of food and drink at Invest NI stated that the “investment in automation and digitalised processes provides a real opportunity for increased productivity in the agri-food sector.
“Mackle Food Company’s investment will not only improve the efficiency of the business but will bring a welcome boost to the local economy. We look forward to seeing the company thrive as it continues to innovate and expand.”
Joseph Mackle, the founder and managing director of Mackle Food Company said: “The support we are receiving through Invest NI’s agri-food investment initiative is helping us to automate our manufacturing processes.
“By replacing manual methods with advanced robotics and real-time production monitoring, we will enhance efficiency, reduce waste, move towards environmentally friendly materials and significantly increase our outputs.
“A skilled workforce is essential to ensure automated processes are integrated properly. We are creating 32 new roles as part of this investment, including robotics engineers and IT automation support roles. These roles are crucial to ensure the new robotics and automation deliver efficiencies across the full manufacturing process.”
Late last year, also with the help of Invest Northern Ireland, fintech company Ctrl Alt announced plans to create 21 jobs at a new office in Belfast as a result of a £1.5m investment.
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