There are a number of wood and manufacturing business located in Leitrim.
Some examples of Leitrim based companies in this sector are detailed below:
Merenda Ltd.
Merenda Ltd., is a family run business, based in Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim. Merenda design and manufacture wood veneer component products which are used in the manufacture of furniture pieces and for interior wood decors such as architrave and skirting board. The company export worldwide from their base in North Leitrim with clients in the Middle East, Europe, the UK and off course Ireland.
The decision to locate in Leitrim is due to the family's strong connection with the area and their MD, Ronan Haslette, returned from working in Dublin to take over the family business.
The company employs 26 staff at its custom built facility, which was built in 2000 at an estimated half the cost of what it would have cost to build a similar plant in Dublin. Thirty per cent of the staff have a 3rd level qualification and all staff have a minimum education level equivalent to the Irish Leaving Certificate.
The company has received significant support from Enterprise Ireland for training and product development. They also work with the Irish Management Institute and IBEC on training. Merenda work closely with IT Sligo's Design and Innovation Department and the Industrial Design Department as well as linking in with programmes of Letterkenny IT and the Galway Mayo IT Furniture and Wood Products Network.
The Company has also expanded into the design and manufacture of high spec presentation pieces tailored to customer needs using wood veneer as a raw material.
For further information on Merenda, check out www.merenda.com
Elastometall
Elastometall is a German owned company based in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim. The Company are based in Leitrim since 1988. Elastometall specialise in vibration isolation, noise reduction and shock absorption through rubber - metal bonding technology. The company manufactures a product range of over five thousand standard and specialty parts. The Company export worldwide from their facility in Manorhamiton. Elastometall also manufacture in-house - its own tooling, metal parts and rubber compounds. Other processes include compression and injection moulding, sandblasting, extrusion, mould design & manufacture. The company has built up an excellent reputation for quality and has a loyal customer base which includes Siemens, VW/Audi, Volvo, BMW, Mannesmann, Mercedes, BOMAG, KTR and Caterpillar.
The decision to locate in Manorhamilton was based partly on the owner, Herr Richard Engstler's belief that the beauty of the area would attract people to work and live there. Elastometall was established in 1980 in Ottersweier Baden, Germany by the Engstler family and has since evolved into a global company with plants in Ireland, the United States, and Germany.
The Company employs 35 people in its Manorhamilton plant. In 1988 Elastometall received support from the IDA in the form of supports for job creation.
For further information on Elastometall, check out www.elastometall.ie
Masonite Ireland
Masonite International is a leading global manufacturer of residential and commercial doors, committed to providing the highest value door products to customers in more than 70 countries around the world. Headquartered in Tampa, Fl, US, the Company employs 10,000 people in over 50 plants worldwide. Throughout the Company's 80 year history, Masonite has maintained its focus on leading-edge innovation, manufacturing excellence and superior customer service.
Masonite Ireland is part of Masonite International and is based in Drumsna, Co Leitrim. The Irish plant exports Moulded Door Panels to Door Manufacturers in 30 countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Masonite Ireland is an important part of the Irish timber products sector and contributes in excess of €40m per year to the regional economy. The Irish operation began production in July 1997 and currently employs 200 people.
The decision to locate in Leitrim was influenced by the availability of a highly educated workforce, availability of key raw materials and accessibility to important European markets. The Company received support from Enterprise Ireland in the form of grant assistance towards capital and training needs.
Masonite places a strong emphasis on training and education and continues to be involved in a number of innovative Degree, Diploma and Certificate Courses with Sligo IT and Waterford IT. These courses are tailored directly for the needs of Masonite staff and are delivered on site at their production facility in Drumsna, County Leitrim.
For further information on Masonite, check out www.masonite.com
Archway Products Ltd
Archway Products Ltd, located in Jamestown, County Leitrim design and manufacture specialised state of the art road repair machinery. With the development and production of the Roadmaster(r) range, Archway Products are now the market leaders in road repair and maintenance machinery and velocity patching technology.
Archway Products Limited was established in 1990 in Jamestown, Co. Leitrim, Ireland, by managing Director Liam McNamee. The company initially manufactured bale wrapping and handling equipment for the agricultural industry. In 1996 Archway Products identified an opportunity to manufacture road repair machinery, in particular in the area of velocity road patching. By the year 2000 the Roadmaster(r) was ready for manufacture, complete with patents and CE compliance. They employ 14 full time staff in their production facility which covers 7,200 square feet, with a new office premises on a site of 1,500 square feet.
Archway Products received support from Enterprise Ireland through Research and Development assistance, Access to Overseas Markets, assistance in relation to their marketing and export strategy and with the recruitment of key staff.
They have a policy of continuous development for all their products and over the past five years have allocated approximately 5% of average annual turnover to research and development.
For further information on Archway Products, check out www.archwayproducts.com