Robinson hails green shoots
Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd February 2012 - Press Release image - First Minister Peter Robinson pictured at the official opening of Willowbrook Foods new �5.5 million factory facility at Killinchy, Co Down this afternoon. Mr Robinson is pictured with Willowbrook's Managing Director John McCann. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / PressEye.com.
FIRST Minister Peter Robinson has hailed a £5.5 million investment by Co Down-based firm Willowbrook Foods as a symbol of the potential for business growth in the province.
Mr Robinson visited the Killinchy firm to officially open the new factory premises which also house a new R&D facility.
The company produces fresh, pre-packed vegetables, salads and mash products and employs more than 160 people.
The new factory is the culmination of an expansion programme that began in 2009 and is expected to create a further 25 new jobs.
Welcoming the expansion, Mr Robinson said: “Stimulating the economy is a key driver in the Executive’s programme of regeneration and it is for this reason that we have taken the important step of making wealth creation a top priority in the draft Programme for Government.
“The agri-food sector is of vital importance to the Northern Ireland economy and this new factory is indicative of Willowbrook’s determination to enhance its competitive advantage in the marketplace. It represents the sort of private sector growth that is necessary to rebalance our economy and I congratulate them on their success.”
The First Minister met John McCann, managing director of Willowbrook Foods, and toured the new 44,000sq ft factory.
Mr McCann said: “This factory more than doubles the company’s production capacity and is enabling us to meet the growing demand from key customers for our existing range of products. It is enabling us to build on the success we have achieved in selling 85 per cent of our products to customers outside Northern Ireland.
“The Innovation Centre and the new factory together enable us to respond quickly and flexibly to market opportunities for new products. Our success to date has been based on the close working relationships that we have developed with customers and our ability to respond nimbly to opportunities arising from the demands of consumers.”
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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