CCP Gransden
Image: EtiAmmos/Shutterstock

Ballygowan-based engineering firm pours £3.5m into R&D and new jobs

2 Dec 2016

A major investment in both infrastructure and staff by engineering manufacturer CCP Gransden is a boon to Northern Ireland aerospace industry.

Having invested in a state-of-the-art multifunctional manufacturing cell that can produce complex advanced composite components, Ballygowan-based CCP Gransden has its eyes on global growth.

The £3.5m capital put into both facilities and upskilling of staff, with new recruits to come, is aimed at the manufacturing of new, advances in lightweight composite components.

CCP

These, the company hope, will appeal to global sectors, including the aerospace and automotive industries, with the total investment aided by almost £1m in funding from Invest NI.

The move will enable us to deliver high-quality, “high-value complex components” said Jim Erskine, MD of the company. “[This] will not only meet customer needs, but enable us to win new business in growing markets.”

CCP has already started upskilling its existing staff, with additional recruits in the offing, “with technical skills and business knowledge from a variety of sectors”, according to Erskine.

The company’s new manufacturing cell brings together several processes, allowing for high-volume manufacturing and specified, one-off productions.

The company plans to invest further in R&D, and work with both existing and potential global clients to maximise the cell’s capability.

“The combination of the investment in the cell, a skilled workforce and the ongoing support of our government puts CCP Gransden in an excellent position to grow and develop its business, and the reputation of the advanced engineering sector here in Northern Ireland.”

Simon Hamilton, Northern Ireland’s Economy Minister, said it was a “great example” of a company realising the importance of R&D.

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Gordon Hunt
By Gordon Hunt

Gordon Hunt joined Silicon Republic in October 2014 as a journalist. He spends most of his time avoiding conversations about music, appreciating even the least creative pun and rueing the day he panicked when meeting Paul McGrath. His favourite thing on the internet is the ‘Random Article’ link on Wikipedia.

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