Dunbia to Invest £27 Million in Northern Ireland
Dunbia Group is to invest £27 million at its Dungannon site in Northern Ireland to establish an intelligent boning hall and to upgrade production lines to increase output and support export growth. The capital investment programme will result in the creation of 209 new jobs at Dungannon over the next three years.
Dunbia Northern Ireland’s Dungannon facility employs almost 1,000 people in the procurement, slaughter and de-boning of cattle and sheep, as well as wholesale distribution and retail packing of beef and lamb.
The investment was secured for Northern Ireland by Invest NI, which has built up a strong relationship with Dunbia NI. Invest Northern Ireland has offered £2 million of support and will continue to work closely with the company as it grows.
Northern Ireland’s Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster says: “Dunbia is investing in innovative technology and production processes to enable it to maximise the return on its resources and remain cost-competitive. The new boning hall will help the company achieve improved butchery efficiencies and economies of scale, while the installation of new production lines using the most modern automated retail butchery will increase retail packing efficiencies.”
She adds: “The meat sector plays an important part in our economic success and the sector has continued to grow, despite the downturn. This kind of investment is significant, not just for the future long-term sustainability of Dunbia, but also for its positive impact on the agri-food supply chain and the red meat sector as a whole.”
Dunbia NI is part of the Dunbia Group which employs around 4,000 people over 13 sites.
Jim Dobson, managing director of Dunbia Group, says: “Innovation has been at the heart of Dunbia’s success and this investment in new production technology will create a centre of excellence for beef deboning. It will help us to maintain our position as a leading meat processor in the UK and Ireland and to deliver on our growth strategy over the next three to five years. Invest NI’s support, and its ongoing advice, were important factors in our decision to make this investment at our Dungannon facility.”
CAPTION:
Minister Arlene Foster is pictured with Jim Dobson, managing director of Dunbia Group.
