Kells is set for a significant jobs boost with the news that a new paper manufacturing company is to take over the former Rooney’s Hardware building just outside the town.

Abellio Productions Ltd, a subsidiary of existing Irish company, Abellio Ltd, will manufacture paper products using cutting edge, industry first technology. The company plans to hire over 50 workers for the new factory.

The firm has just purchased the former Rooney’s premises at the Kells Business Park on the Cavan Road and expects to spend a further €2 million on extending and improving the existing building. Up to 30 tradespeople are expected to be employed in accomplishing this aspect of the project.

Meath Enterprise has been instrumental in attracting Abellio Productions to County Meath following initial discussions with Enterprise Ireland. Gary O’Meara, Meath Enterprise CEO, said he was delighted to have been able to secure a suitable facility in Kells for the new company.

Speaking during a visit by the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to Meath Enterprise’s Kells Tech Hub last Friday, 10^thMay, Mr O’Meara said: “We have been working with Abellio over the last number of months to secure this investment in Kells, which will be a significant economic shot in the arm for the area.”

He went on: “Abellio Productions Ltd will be spending in the region of €10 million on industrial equipment in order to set up production over the next four years. All of it will be European-sourced, with about 20 per cent from Irish suppliers.”

The company plans to hire around 51 people in various roles, including 36 trained production operators, three qualified mechanics, five administration staff and three maintenance people. There will also be four management positions.

David Mulvany, managing director of Abellio Ltd, said the company’s strategy would be to try and source raw materials from local sources. “We have a strong environmental ethos within the group that will be maintained with this new company,” he said.

“We will also be investing in renewable energy, whether that be solar or whatever the engineering consultants recommend. We also plan to install multiple electric vehicle charging points and all our company cars will be electric vehicles,” Mr Mulvany added.

Meath County Council CEO, Jackie Maguire, speaking during the Taoiseach’s visit to the Kells Tech Hub last Friday, said the new investment in the area was further evidence of the success of the council’s ‘Europe’s Business-Ready Region’ strategy, which has already seen Meath attract high-profile industries to the county, such as Facebook and pharmaceutical company Takeda (formerly Shire).

“Our location offers superb connectivity to Europe and the rest of the world through Dublin Airport and Dublin Port as well as a high-speed motorway network. We have a dynamic and highly-skilled workforce with 55 per cent of Meath’s citizens being third-level graduates, and we have no shortage of greenfield, industrial and office spaces available. All of these factors have helped attract companies like Abellio Productions Ltd to our county,” she added.

Minister Helen McEntee welcomed the news and highlighted the positive role that Meath Enterprise and Meath County Council have played in supporting, promoting and developing enterprise in Meath and that this latest jobs boost for Kells and the development of the Kells Tech Hub are further examples of this.

Speaking whilst visiting the facility with An Taoiseach Minister McEntee said: “I want to commend the drive and commitment of Gary O’Meara CEO Meath Enterprise for developing and delivering innovative projects and initiatives such as the Kells Tech Hub, the Boyne Valley Food Innovation District, the Global Startup Ecosystem Assessment and Report for the Mid-East Region and, most recently, securing 50 new jobs for Kells which is fantastic news and further justification of the local authorities successful strategy for attracting FDI to the region”

Mr Varadkar, speaking during his visit to the Kells Technology & Enterprise Centre last Friday, also spoke of his admiration for the work being carried out by Meath Enterprise and Meath County Council, particularly in relation to innovation and fostering an enterprise culture.

Speaking at the event the Taoiseach said “It’s been really great to see first-hand the work being carried out here at Kells Tech Hub. The Government wants to make sure that the economic prosperity that we now have is felt in every part of the country and is felt in every home, while also building an Ireland, a society, in which nobody feels left out.  What I have seen today in this centre really speaks to that mission and to that vision”

The Taoiseach went on: “It is great to see a Local Authority that is really leading out on enterprise development. It’s also great to see the focus on food innovation; we know that consumers are seeking out taste, traceability and sustainability – they want to know where their food is coming from and how it was produced. Meath Enterprise, through it’s Kells Tech Hub and Boyne Valley Food Innovation District initiatives, is really responding to that demand.”

During his visit, the Taoiseach was briefed on the results of the Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER), a detailed annual dossier which examines the support structures in countries around the world that enable start-ups to grow and scale.

It has ranked the Mid-East region of Ireland – consisting of counties Meath, Kildare and Wicklow – among the top-performing ecosystems across the globe.The region’s inclusion in this year’s GSER 2019 report is a pilot project spearheaded by Meath Enterprise. The report was launched at The Next Web conference in Amsterdam on 9^thMay. 

Among the key findings of the report is that the Mid-East has a top 10 activation ecosystem when it comes to AgTech – the application of technology to food production – and food innovation, and it has already managed to create $150 million in ecosystem value. 

For further information, please contact Gary O’Meara, CEO, Meath Enterprise: on +353 46 907 3753 or email info@meathenterprise.ie