Investment Helps Company Build Profits

Coalisland firm Western Building Systems has developed a new mobile park home and achieved export success following a £1.9 million investment supported by Invest Northern Ireland.

Within six months of the investment, the company has secured export orders worth over £1.5 million for the new product and extended its premises to meet the additional demand. Invest NI offered £92,000 towards the investment.

The new park home is a fully furnished, moveable dwelling which, due to a specially designed reinforced chassis, can be towed and therefore easily relocated.

The new product has already been shipped to towns and cities across Great Britain with further orders expected.

Invest NI’s package of assistance has helped the company to develop the design of the park home, implement improvements to their IT systems and market the product outside Northern Ireland.

The expansion project has created 18 new jobs, including specialised production and sales managers.

Declan McCloskey, General Manager of Western Building Systems, is pleased with the early results achieved by the investment and said: "We already manufactured a range of portable accommodation solutions, including private park homes and units for the commercial, health and education sectors. Our new in-house design facility means we can also tailor park homes to the exact requirements of the customer, right down to room layout, décor and fixtures and fittings."

Kevin McCann, Invest NI’s Director of Transport, Construction and Tourism, said: "Western Building Systems is an excellent example of a local company using design improvements to create a product which complements its existing range and can increase its export capability and turnover."

(SB/SP)