Roco invests £2.5m in new factory and doubles headcount in Crossmaglen

Pictured (L-R) are Alistair Quinn, Head of Southern Regional Business, Invest NI; Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald; Shane Connolly, CEO, Roco

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has announced that mobile crushing and screening equipment manufacturer, Roco, is investing £2.5m in a factory expansion and 30 new jobs.

The investment will double the company’s headcount to increase capacity and productivity after it secured £8m in export sales over the last 12 months.

Speaking at a visit to the company’s Crossmaglen factory, the Minister said: “Roco’s export success shows how local firms can compete on the global stage. This investment will boost productivity, create high-quality jobs in Crossmaglen and help strengthen the local economy, supporting my vision of a more regionally balanced economy.”

Roco’s mobile crushing and screening equipment is used in the construction, quarrying and recycling industries to reduce the size of rubble and screen the materials into various sizes. Roco’s machines are hybrid electric and are currently sold across Britain and Ireland, the US and European markets.

Shane Connolly, Roco CEO, said: “To grow our business we need to improve the quality of our products and reduce our lead times. We’ve realised that to do this, we need to expand our facility and our workforce, to bring more assembly production work in-house.

“This will not only improve our efficiencies but also our productivity. We will be able to double the amount of machinery options we offer so that we can attract even more new customers in international markets following our recent export wins.”

Invest NI has offered the company £210,000 of support towards the creation of the 30 jobs. Roles across production, design, finance and sales are available, with seven of the jobs already in place.

Alistair Quinn, Invest NI’s Head of Southern Regional Business, said: “Since 2020, we have worked in close partnership with Roco to build its capability and unlock international opportunities. Our support for the company to attend AGG1 in the US, and its attendance at the Northern Ireland pavilion at Hillhead contributed towards these impressive export wins.

“It’s great to support the company to double its Crossmaglen workforce now. Along with the support to grow its headcount, our trade team has connected Shane with our in-market teams in the US and Middle East to develop opportunities in Mexico, Europe and Asia. We’re looking forward to seeing where this investment takes the company next.”