Frylite invests £2m new Lisburn depot creating 25 new jobs

Frylite, the Irish food oil business, has launched a new depot in Lisburn to accommodate increased demand for its products in the area.

The launch represents an investment of £2m for the firm and has made way for 25 new jobs including a new Depot Manager. It is the sixth depot in the company and adds to the firm’s existing bases in Coleraine, Cork, Dublin, Galway, and its headquarters in Strabane. Frylite presently employs 230 staff across the latter sites.

Martin Gormley, Operations Director, says the newest depot will meet the demands of its growing customer base in and around the Belfast region, an area previously served by its Strabane depot, while supporting its drive to zero carbon emissions.

He said: “We are delighted to be able to make our mark on yet another part of the province in terms of growing our business but also contributing to the local economy through the creation of new roles. For decades we have grown our client portfolio in and around the Belfast and Lisburn areas and those customers were serviced by our Strabane-based team. So, as our base grew, it made sense to open a new depot in that area.

“This not only allows us to be closer to our customers but it allows us to meet their daily needs in a shorter time frame with less travelling involved and that in turn has a better impact on the environment and improves our customer service. It’s an efficient business model that offers more competitive pricing for our customers too and we are very optimistic about the growth this will bring to the business.”

The opening comes as Frylite assigns 2021 as the year for its “green revolution” during which it has plans to use its oil products to produce fuel via Anaerobic Digestion. That process will allow it to power its fleet of vehicles and is just one of many green initiatives which will make it a carbon neutral business by 2030.

Eamon McCay, Managing Director, says the Frylite Lisburn site has a lot of scope to grow even more in the coming years partly due to its zero carbon emissions drive.

He explained: “Initial plans for staffing at the depot involve the recruitment of 25 staff but there is capacity for up to 60 team members at the base with roles in delivery, warehousing, sales and more available. We also anticipate that the growth of our Food Waste Collection business and our oil and waste oils business will drive the need for a total of 60 new staff members who will work solely from the new base.

“It is great to be able to grow our business and that is testament to the quality product and service that we offer customers who have continued to support us and contribute to our growth.”

The Lisburn facility was designed by Manor Architects and built by Woodvale Construction in conjunction with Frylite.

It boasts sharp contemporary external cladding with composite Kingspan wall panel to create what is a modern industrial facility consisting of offices, a canteen, a split warehouse for new oil storage and the repurposing of oil.

The company is currently seeking new HGV drivers as the haulage industry struggles with a shortage of more than 100,000 drivers in the UK out of a pre-pandemic total of around 600,000 according to the Road Haulage Association.

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