Smiley Monroe produces its belts and belt parts for OEMs of mobile crushing, screening, recycling, road construction and environmental equipment in the firm’s manufacturing plant in Lisburn. As part of the continued programme of 'Made in Lisburn Castlereagh' visits, a delegation from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council recently visited the team to congratulate them on their recent success and learn about their exciting plans for the future.
Speaking at the visit, chairman of the council's development committee, Alderman Allan Ewart, MBE, said: "It is very inspiring to learn about local businesses such as Smiley Monroe and their remarkable success. They have achieved significant growth not only in the Northern Ireland market but further afield in North America and right across the world, exporting to a total of 42 countries. With this growth comes new jobs, new training and investment in their employees and new technology. This is something they do so well. I look forward to watching with interest their future growth in both the domestic and export markets. They are a great example of world-class manufacturing on our doorstep and the Council will support them in any way we can."
Smiley Monroe marketing director, Tim Monroe, said: "We are in the middle of a significant growth period and it is down to many factors including the ambition and drive of the business, the upturn in the OEM market and the investment that we are injecting into the business. We are actively seeking new markets through global trade fairs and this is paying dividends. We already have a manufacturing facility in India and we have plans to have a permanent presence in North America, where the market is set to soar.
"Our state-of-the-art Hub2, located in another site in Lissue Industrial Estate, is home to our impressive water jet cutting technology which led to in an increase in production capacity and improved efficiencies. This, along with our new Enterprise Resource Planning software forms part of our wider strategy of growth. We are delighted to increase our workforce across many of the departments from marketing, technical and production. We currently have 149 employees and we are recruiting for a total of 12 newly created positions as well as recruiting for six replacement positions. Please check out our website and social media for details of vacancies."
Smiley Monroe has previously participated in the Council's business support and trade development programmes, and is actively engaged in the Council's Investment programme aimed at promoting Lisburn Castlereagh as Northern Ireland's premier investment location.
