A former hub of activity in Co. Wexford is set to get a new lease of life following the announcement that Murphy Concrete Products will be moving to the recently acquired 5ac site.
Located on the outskirts of Enniscorthy, the former Boortmalt site on the Old Dublin Road is expected to feature a 20,000ft² production facility.
Construction at the site is well underway with the move expected to take place this spring. Works currently underway include the significant redevelopment and expansion of both the manufacturing and office block where the latest technology in machinery and equipment is being fitted.
According to Murphy Concrete, the main driver behind the investment is to enable the firm to increase its design and manufacturing capacity and provide further scope for the development of new products and new markets.
Managing director John Murphy outlined that this investment is necessary in order to fulfil new markets and their international expansion strategy.
Despite and prior to the threat of Brexit, important markets for Murphy are France and Germany.
“We have been working towards growing our international reach over the past 12-16 months but much of our challenge has been the demand for larger products which we simply couldn’t fulfil at our existing premises in Ballindaggin,” Murphy said.
“When we first started 10 years ago standard size concrete products included drinking troughs with a capacity for 120 gallons.
“We are now in a market where standard size orders from our agri customers are for 400 to 550 gallon troughs. This means we need larger manufacturing equipment and more storage space.
We had simply outgrown our site in Ballindaggin and the relocation to Enniscorthy is the next step in moving the business forward.
“Meeting the requirements of our customers has also led us into developing bespoke products, not just across the agri sector but in the broader construction sector and so our new site will also allow us to do this on a larger scale,” the managing director concluded.