200 new jobs will be created in Monaghan with the announcement that forklift manufacturer and material handling solutions provider Combilift is to expand its workforce. The announcement was made by An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD, at the opening of the new €50 million global headquarters and manufacturing facility.
The 200 jobs, to be created over the next three years, will be for skilled technicians, design engineers, logistics and supply chain specialists and those with mechanical and electrical mechatronics skills. Combilift employs 550 people for the manufacturing of its forklifts and material handling products.
'Incredible home-grown Monaghan success story'
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “Combilift is an incredible home-grown Monaghan success story. When the company was founded 20 years ago, it had three employees, a brilliant concept, and the ambition to make it a reality. We need more home-grown companies like Combilift if we are to achieve our vision for a prosperous future for communities living in counties all across the country."
Built at a cost of €50 million, the new 46,500 sq m (500,000 sq ft) global headquarters and manufacturing facility will allow Combilift to double production. Established in 1998, Combilift currently exports 98 per cent of its products to 85 countries through its 250-strong international dealer network.
Martin McVicar, managing director, Combilift, said the investment would enable Combilift to meet its ambitious growth plans: “We have employed an additional 230 people since we announced our plans for this factory in 2015 and we are planning to recruit an additional 200 in the next three years. The combination of this state of the art production plant and a skilled workforce will allow us to double production within the next five years.”
Mass customisation
An acknowledged world leader in the material handling sector, Martin McVicar, managing director, Combilift, attributes the company’s impressive growth to mass customisation. “Combilift has set the benchmark for the mass production of customised innovative products. Mass customisation is the new frontier for both the customer and the manufacturer. Increasingly customers are expecting products to be tailored to meet their needs.”
Since 1998, Combilift has been manufacturing customised products tailored to suit client requirements. “The flexibility in our new facility means that Combilift can continue to accommodate any customer request for a customised material handling solution,” said McVicar.
“The new factory enables us to double production and remain focused on the needs of our customers and dealers. We have become much more than a forklift manufacturer and are transforming the transport and logistics sector with our innovative, space-spacing products.”
Combilift offers a free logistic and warehouse design service. “Our engineers proactively design, plan and produce solutions in collaboration with our customers by offering material flow analysis and 3D animations,” said McVicar.
Growth of Combilift
Established by Martin McVicar, managing director and Robert in Moffett, technical director, in 1998, Combilift is a privately held and fully capitalised company. It developed the world’s first multidirectional all-wheel drive IC engine powered forklift in 1998. In its first year of operation, Combilift produced 18 units, 17 of which were exported. The company has more than doubled in the last five years and now has 40,000 units in operation in more than 85 countries.
Combilift’s product portfolio has expanded way beyond its first multidirectional Combilift, with innovative product development and customisation being a cornerstone of the company’s ethos according to McVicar.
New factory
• The new 46,500 sq m purpose-built factory is set on a 100-acre site with room for expansion. With 11 acres of roof space, it is one of the largest manufacturing operations under one single roof in the Republic of Ireland.
• Incorporating the latest manufacturing processes with a focus on sustainability, the new factory will enable Combilift to double its output in a single shift across all production lines. Four 90m moving assembly lines produce a finished truck every 15 minutes.
• 30 per cent of its roof space is covered in skylights, enabling staff to work in natural daylight without the assistance of artificial lighting. Lighting is provided through 1,100 LED light with individual sensors. Solar panels supply 185 kW of energy with a 1 MW biomass plant fuelled by recycled wood (pallets etc) to heat the spray booths and assembly area. A total of 110,000 litres of rainwater is harvested for use throughout the facility.
• More than 50 truckloads of finished products are dispatched to 85 countries each week. Spare parts are also shipped across the world from Monaghan to the dealer network.
• Certified to international quality and safety management standards, the new headquarters and manufacturing facility has been awarded ISO 9001 international quality management system, ISO 14001 Environment Management and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series.