Ross Companies is investing £3.6 million (€4.2 million) in an expansion near Ahoghill that will create 25 jobs across engineering, manufacturing and management over three years, giving HR and talent acquisition teams in industrial manufacturing a view of how a small engineering firm is scaling its workforce.

Ross Companies, established in 2017 and led by William Ross, managing director, is a Ballymena, Northern Ireland engineering manufacturer that designs, manufactures, installs, finishes and maintains industrial equipment for sectors including quarrying, cement, food production, waste, recycling and energy. Its turnover has grown from £345,000 (€400,000) in 2019 to nearly £3.8 million (€4.4 million), and it expects sales above £5 million (€5.8 million) over the next two years.

Invest NI is Northern Ireland’s regional business development agency, which offered £125,000 (€145,000) towards the roles, building on earlier support through its Ambition to Grow and Grow Beyond programmes.

The strategic logic brings more production in-house. The investment will increase manufacturing capacity, add processes in-house and support development of the company’s industrial filtration product range, including recently acquired and refurbished premises near Ahoghill.

The structural driver is stricter environmental requirements facing industrial customers. William Ross, managing director at Ross Companies, said: “Demand for our industrial filtration and engineered solutions continues to grow as businesses seek to improve efficiency and meet increasingly stringent environmental requirements.”

Ross added: “Over the last few years, we have transformed from a small maintenance-focused operation into a multi-disciplinary engineering manufacturer serving customers across several sectors.”

Iain Joannides, head of regional business, Eastern Region, at Invest NI, said: “Building on previous Invest NI support, this investment will help Ross Companies strengthen its manufacturing capability, increase productivity and expand its presence in external markets.”

The investment also supports sustainability ambitions: increasing in-house processing improves resource efficiency and reduces reliance on outsourced manufacturing, while the filtration and compliance range helps customers improve environmental performance.

For the sector, the investment shows a small manufacturer pairing in-house capacity, public support and a near-doubling of headcount to meet demand tied to environmental compliance.

Source: Belfast Telegraph / Irish News / Invest NI