Hutchinson Engineering creates 39 jobs as part of strategic £2.2m investment

Kilrea-based Hutchinson Engineering is creating 39 jobs as part of a £2.2million investment to grow the business in a number of international markets.

The engineering company specialises in sub-contract engineering and metal fabrication for a range of sectors including transport, materials handling, agriculture, medical and construction.

Established in 1971 by the late Creighton Hutchinson, the business is now led by his sons, Mark and Richard.

Highlighting that the new expanded team will play a large part in driving forward innovation, Mark Hutchinson, chief executive officer of Hutchinson Engineering, said: “Our growth plans to date have focused on investing in new technologies to drive our business forward through innovation.

“We purchased cutting-edge technology such as Flatbed Fibre Lasers with support from Invest Northern Ireland’s Covid-19 Productive Investment Capital Grant.

"We’re already seeing significant time and energy savings, creating a more sustainable working model. With this in place, we’re now in the position to further expand our operations across the coach building, agriculture, and recycling sectors.

“Creating 39 jobs to increase our capacity will ensure that we can maximise opportunities in the marketplace, such as in Republic of Ireland and Great Britain, and can take full advantage of the efficiencies of our new technologies.

"Our new expanded team will play a large part in driving our innovation so that we can continue our development of a world-class Industry 4.0 manufacturing environment.”

Job opportunities include sales, production, fabrication and welder roles at all levels, including apprenticeships. Recruitment is underway with nine roles in place.

Invest NI has offered the company support towards the creation of the 39 jobs, following previous support towards skills development and technical product development.

George McKinney, director of technology, services & scaling, Invest NI, explained: “Following Hutchinson Engineering’s participation on our Leader Programme, our Scaling team has been working closely with the company to support its growth trajectory.

“Our support so far has given the company the ability and confidence to invest in further business growth, and I’m pleased to see it continuing to scale at pace.

“Increasing innovation to deliver high value jobs in the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector is a key part of The Department for the Economy’s 10X Economic Vision, to position Northern Ireland amongst the most competitive small advanced economies in the world.

“Hutchinson Engineering’s growth project will continue to enhance and improve its productivity and competitiveness, helping the business to go grow in its new key markets and increase global sales. Once in place, the jobs will contribute over £1million additional annual salaries to the economy - great news for the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area.”

In recognition of Hutchinson Engineering’s commitment to innovation, it has been awarded a Platinum Level Innovator Certificate from Innovate NI.

Invest NI is committed to driving innovation in Northern Ireland and is a proud partner of Innovate NI, a Department for the Economy programme, helping local businesses innovate successfully.