SCHOOL EDITION 29 MAY 2024 - Flipbook - Page 18
18
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Business INsight
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 22 2020
business@irishnews.com
www.irishnews.com
14 jobs created as firm moves
to new manufacturing facility
GARY McDONALD
BUSINESS EDITOR
g.mcdonald@irishnews.com
D
ERRY-based engineering
solutions firm Gallagher &
McKinney (GMK) is creating 14 jobs at a new manufacturing facility at Skeoge industrial
park in the city.
The company, founded in 1979
and purchased in 2006 by Seamus
Mellon, has relocated its entire operation from Maydown to the 15,000 sq
ft of space, which includes a 5000kg
overhead crane that runs the entire
length of the workshop.
The facility has 5000 sq ft of modern office facilities which cater for
management, engineering and administration staff.
GMK has also recently purchased
three acres of greenfield land which
will be developed into further workshop, storage and lay-down facilities
over the short to medium term.
The firm provides contractor and
subcontractor project management
on piping projects, which include
the manufacture and installation of
steel work support systems.
Bill Montgomery, director of advanced manufacturing and engineering at Invest NI, which has offered
the company £94,500 towards the
job creation, said: “The company
bought its first one-acre site on our
Skeoge industrial park in 2017, with
the option to further expand on to
an adjacent three-acre site, which it
has now done.
“The new manufacturing facility
has now been built and includes a
new 10,000 ft stainless steel pipe
fabrication workshop and a two-acre
lay-down area.
“This will significantly increase
the company’s capacity to bring
more work in-house and secure
larger projects to meet the growing
needs of clients.”
The company is keen to build internal digital expertise with BIM/
CAD operatives and junior engineers, along with skilled fitters and
welders.
It is also committed to investing in
its apprentice training scheme with
five new apprentices being hired
each year.
Seamus Mellon, managing director
at GMK, said: “Historically we have
worked as a subcontractor on large
piping projects but we have recently acted as principal contractor on
substantial projects with Seagate
Technology and are now looking to build on this element of our
business.
“Investing in our team is crucial
RELOCATION: Gallagher &
McKinney managing director
Seamus Mellon, left, and Bill
Montgomery from Invest NI
to our strategy to grow our business
and bid for larger contracts and we
are grateful for Invest NI’s support
to recruit and get these positions in
place quickly.
“We have ambitious plans for the
business with a focus on key sectors
including pharmaceutical, waste to
energy and data centres in both GB
and Europe.
“This investment in both our
new facility and new people places Gallagher & McKinney in a
strong position to deliver against
these plans.”
Group’s bid for Titanic Quarter
hotel receives planners’ backing
RYAN McALEER
r.mcaleer@irishnews.com
A LONDON-based hospitality
group’s bid to build one of
the biggest hotels in Belfast
has been backed by city
council planning officials.
JMK Group has proposed a
276-bed family-friendly hotel
on Hamilton Dock, next to
Titanic Belfast.
The plans for the sevenstorey building include
a rooftop bar, along with
a restaurant/cafe and
conference facilities.
Subject to approval at
Thursday’s meeting of
Belfast City Council’s
planning committee, the
hotel could be open by the
second quarter of 2021.
No brand has been unveiled
for the hotel, but the JMK
group portfolio, which is
owned by the Kajani family,
already includes a Holiday
Inn Express on Dublin’s
O’Connell Street and the
PLANS: A digital render of
JMK Group’s proposed hotel
Marina Hotel in Waterford.
It is currently building a
421-bed Holiday Inn at
“The proposed
development is
considered on
balance acceptable”
Planning officials
Dublin Airport and a 249bed Hampton by Hilton
close to the Four Courts in
Dublin city centre.
The group also owns four
hotels in London.
In a report recommending
that the project go ahead,
planning officials conclude:
“Having had regard to the
extant development plan,
the draft development
plan, relevant planning
policies, planning approvals
in the area, economic
benefits and other material
considerations, the proposed
development is considered
on balance acceptable.”
Cordovan completes first deal of year
B
ELFAST private equity
investor Cordovan
Capital Partners
has added a ninth investee
company to its portfolio by
making a significant equity
investment into Decorum
Vending in Dorset, which
specialises in providing
vending solutions across the
UK rail network.
Cordovan, one of the
north’s most active private
equity investors, says it has
closed “a significant equity
investment” into Decorum, its
first deal of 2020.
The growth equity funding
package, which has been
invested in exchange for a
significant minority stake
in the company, will enable
Decorum to continue to
bring its innovative
approach to the sector and
fulfil recently-won vending
contracts across the UK rail
network, placing modern
smart-vending machines
across high-footfall stations
such as London Waterloo,
Clapham Junction and
Paddington.