Hutchinson Engineering, an award-winning business based in Kilrea, Northern Ireland, has made a £4 million investment in ‘state of the art’ laser cutting machines and a substantial automated storage facility that includes a pair of 12kW
Trumpf TruLaser 5040 fiber lasers and Trumpf automation.
This latest development, which represents the company’s largest capital investment to date, substantially increases its capacity and ‘fuels Hutchinson’s vision to becoming ‘the leading provider of engineering solutions in Ireland’.
The company is led by brothers Mark Hutchinson (CEO) and Richard Hutchinson (commercial director). Speaking of the positive impact the investment brings for customers, Mark Hutchinson said: “This major investment is partly in response to the growing number of enquiries we are receiving from clients seeking to nearshore their supply chains in materials handling, agriculture, coach building and road transport.
“The markets they operate in have seen immense volatility over the last few years due to Covid, increased fuel and shipping costs and carbon-reduction targets, but our clients are adapting to this changing market landscape. Our latest investment means that we can build long-term partnerships to help keep their businesses ‘ahead of the curve’.
“This new investment significantly improves cutting speeds and allows us to hold more material on-site and reduce lead times, while helping customers to innovate, launch new products quicker and maintain their competitive advantage. Furthermore, sustainability has always been a core focus of the business and this latest development significantly reduces the carbon footprint of our operations thanks to the reduction in energy required to run the machines — and we save fuel on fuel for forklifts.”
Invest Northern Ireland has offered Hutchinson Engineering a Productive Investment Capital Grant (PICG) towards the cost of the capital purchase. It has also supported the company with help towards skills development, job creation and trade acceleration.
Grainne McVeigh, Invest NI’s director of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering, said: “The Productive Investment Capital Grant has helped many businesses make that important commitment to invest in their future. It has given Hutchinson Engineering the ability and confidence to continue investment in innovation. By purchasing the new laser cutting machinery, the company has increased capacity to meet customer demand, and will contribute to wider economic growth.”
Hutchinson Engineering was also supported in this latest investment by
Danske Bank and by
Lister Machine Tools, which have both having enjoyed long-standing relationships with Hutchinson. Representatives from both organisations joined with Invest NI at Hutchinson headquarters recently to officially launch the new machinery.