Donaldson Timber Engineering Moves Into Ireland

20-10-2003

Leading UK roof truss and engineered timber flooring manufacturer Donaldson Timber Engineering (DTE) is opening a factory in Ireland.

A custom –built 20,000 sq ft factory is currently being constructed on a 3 acre site in Mountmellick north of Portlaoise, in the Republic of Ireland.

DTE Director Mr George Watson comments:

“We chose this location because it is virtually in the centre of Ireland, one and a half hours west of Dublin and with easy access to a country-wide marketplace via the new Dublin/Cork motorway link. We believe this will give us the perfect location to serve the buoyant Irish house-building industry. Our aim is to become one of the Republic’s key suppliers of engineered timber roof trusses and floor products.”

The factory, which will start manufacturing in spring 2004, is designed to reach an ultimate manufacturing capacity of 2500/3000 roof trusses per week. It will house the most advanced production equipment, specifically the Australian –designed Hydra Press, which DTE is trialing in two of its UK plants, in Scotland and the Midlands. Equipment will also include an X cut line to produce flooring packages using the Finnforest Finnjoist system, which DTE is introducing to Ireland.

DTE’s decision to enter the Irish market was taken in response to the buoyant housing market in the Republic, where over 50,000 houses per year are scheduled to be built over the next 5 years, with more to follow. The company believe that the Irish house building industry will welcome the product quality and particularly the swift lead times which have been the hallmark of DTE’s success over the years in the UK.

Mr Watson says:

“We look forward to bringing our unique commitment to service and quality to our Irish customers. We will be supported in delivering this service and quality by our supplier partners: importers Crown Timber, with their terminal at Wicklow; Mitek, leading manufacturers of truss connector plates; and Finnforest, leading manufacturers of engineered timber flooring products, including Finnjoist, the engineered timber I-joist.”

DTE are currently recruiting personnel for the factory and anticipate that they will employ some 35 people, 10 technical/office staff and 25 on the shop floor.