Agricultural technology business Lely Mullingar is setting up a further base of operations in Ireland to serve customers in the southeast of the country.

The news was confirmed by Niall McGauran, one of the co-owners of Lely Mullingar.

McGauran said that plans for the new base – to be called Lely Kilkenny – are being finalised.

The new business will serve the business’ customers in counties Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary and Carlow.

A Twitter page has been set up for the new Lely branch. The new business is described as “robotic milking and farm automation specialists covering the southeast”.

Speaking to Agriland, Alan Heaney, the other co-owner of Lely Mullingar, said that Lely Kilkenny is “effectively doing business” at present, even before the physical premises is in place.

Opening of Lely Kilkenny

April 1, is being targeted as the date for the beginning of the business’ physical presence in Kilkenny.

Even without a physical presence as of yet, there are already 12 people working for the business in the area serving the customer base.

The exact location for the new business has not yet been finalised, but when it is it will “amplify” the business’ presence in the region, Heaney said.

According to Heaney, the new base will look to replicate the model of the existing Co. Westmeath business.

He said there is a “huge requirement” for the company’s services in the southeast of the country.

The Mullingar-based business is already the fastest-growing Lely Center in Europe, with 60 staff. This new branch in Kilkenny is a “significant step in growth”, according to Heaney.

Lely Mullingar is a robotic milking, feeding and cleaning specialist business which serves dairy farmers in the east, midlands and west of the country.

It provides a number of services to dairy farmers, including yard design, paddock mapping, and farm management support.