
Astec Industries unveiled plans for a $5 million factory expansion at its Omagh location in Northern Ireland to better serve growing market demands in the mobile crushing and screening industry.
The expansion comes a year after the original facility was built to support the increased demand for mobile material handling products, and it was closely followed by the introduction of mobile crushing and screening products, Astec says.
Tim Averkamp, group president at Astec, says the project will add an additional 44,000 sq. ft. to the facility, bringing the total to nearly 100,000 sq. ft. and the total investment to nearly $10 million.
“This investment aligns with our ‘simplify, focus and grow’ business strategy and demonstrates our commitment to growth in the aggregate, recycling and other material processing industries,” Averkamp says. “It positions us to significantly increase our distribution globally and will help us continue to offer best-in-class products and services to support to our customers.”
Martin Dummigan, group vice president of operations at Astec, echoes Averkamp’s sentiment.
“We opened the original plant a year ago and already have to nearly double it in size, so it’s a real success story and shows the quality and demand of our product,” Dummigan says. “Northern Ireland is where more than half the supply of the global market for mobile crushing and screening equipment originates, and establishing a larger footprint here will not only help us grow our business, but also better serve our customers and partners.”
Astec expanded into Northern Ireland after acquiring Telestack in 2014. Dummigan estimates the expansion will add more than 80 new jobs over the next two years.
The company plans to break ground on the expansion in late 2022 with an expected completion by mid-2023.