Mannok increase bagged cement output
Company boosts capacity with further €2.1 million investment in cement bagging facilities
MANNOK have invested a further €2.1 million in their cement bagging facilities with the acquisition of state-of-the-art technology that will double the output capacity of their weatherproof bagged cement product range.
The recent outlay is one of several key investments for Mannok this year which align with the company’s growth plans on both sides of the Irish Sea.
German equipment specialists Haver & Boecker were contracted to design and manufacture a new Roto-Packer Adams 10-spout bag filling system and a new automatic film reel changer, designed to run at 1,200 bags per hour.
Integration of the new machinery into Mannok’s existing line was completed in the second quarter of this year. Now in production, this latest phase of investment will give Mannok the capacity to pack around 50 tonnes of cement in weatherproof bags every hour, in addition to a similar packing capacity for traditional paper bags.
The recent equipment acquisition sees the company’s overall investment in its cement bagging facilities reach more than €5 million over the last three years, following an initial multi-million-euro investment in 2018, when the installation of Mannok’s first weatherproof bagging line allowed the successful launch of their extended bagged cement range.
Despite the twin challenges of Brexit and Covid, the demand for Mannok’s popular bagged cement products has remained high on both sides of the Irish Sea. It is this sustained success of the range in both the UK and Irish markets that has prompted the recent investment to double the output capacity of the popular weatherproof bagged products.
Joining the company’s Irish sales team on a plant visit to see the new technology in action, Mannok’s chief executive officer, Liam McCaffrey, commented: ‘This is a major investment in our cement operations which completes the second phase of our investment in our weatherproof bagging line, upgrading it from a single to a double bagging line with a significant increase in output capacity.
‘Our initial investment to bring our weatherproof PE bags to the market was in response to demand from GB-based merchants, and we later introduced the bags to the Irish market, where the response was equally positive.
‘The success of the bags in both UK and Irish markets gave us the impetus to invest further in order to increase our output and, despite the challenges presented by Covid and Brexit, we have followed through with our investment plan, demonstrating our commitment to continued growth on both sides of the Irish Sea and placing us in a strong position for the new post-Brexit landscape.’
