Materials handling
Northern Ireland is a recognised centre of excellence in the design and manufacture of materials handling equipment.
Northern Ireland has one of the world's most successful clusters of engineering companies developing innovative solutions for the materials handling industry.
Sector innovation and experience
Our materials handling sector employs more than 8,000 people in over 100 companies. These companies have been operating successfully in Northern Ireland for many years, supported by a comprehensive and competitive supply chain.
The region has a resource of skills, knowledge and experience in materials handling which encourages and facilitates market-led innovation. Machinery manufactured in Northern Ireland is sold to customers in over 100 countries with applications as diverse as iron ore mining in India, road construction in Peru, diamond exploration in South Africa and sand washing in the Arabian Gulf.
Search for suppliers in our materials handling company directory
Areas of expertise
Our companies have a variety of materials handling expertise including:
- Forklift trucks and warehousing equipment
- Bulk materials processing equipment for crushing, screening, washing and conveying sand, soil and aggregates
- Waste processing equipment including multi-waste stream sortation and size reduction
- Airport ground support, and port equipment
- Trailers for road and off-road transport
- Construction equipment
- Agritech machinery and farming equipment
Access to world-class talent
Northern Ireland’s two world-class universities, Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University, along with our further education colleges have strong engineering schools and research centres which work closely with materials handling companies on R&D and new product development.
Northern Ireland for foreign direct investment
Northern Ireland is an attractive place for investment in the materials handling sector thanks to a combination of factors including skills availability, excellent infrastructure, cost-effectiveness and a supportive business environment.
Coronavirus business support
