Twenty new jobs mooted for manufacturing firm

TWENTY new jobs could be on the way to a Tyrone door manufacturers, thanks to the firm making its first large-scale shipment of goods to America.

The shipment, from O&S Doors in Benburb, was sent to a customer in Chicago which supplies doors to apartment developments on the west coast.

O&S sales and marketing director and part-owner Tim Dillon says the deal has the potential to return around £5 million of additional revenues a year and could also lead to the recruitment of at least 20 new staff.

Speaking to the Irish News Mr Dillon said, “This is a massive breakthrough for us after many months of hard graft. We previously operated exclusively within the UK and Ireland, and while we did consider expanding into Europe, we felt the American market would offer us the more lucrative opportunities.

“I reached out to a number of companies, but then started dialogue with a supplier in Chicago.

“We sent them samples, we did testing, and then they placed this first order a few months ago.

“We created new materials for them, so it’s taken a bit of time, but now the first containers are leaving today.”

The company has said that exciting times are afoot and they have made progress with a large distributor in Canada which supplies the whole US.

The Benburb firm, which has offices in Dublin and Manchester create more than 60,000 door styles and finish combinations a week for kitchen, bedroom and bathroom cabinet products.

Last year the company, which was established in 1999 by entrepreneur Peter O’Donnell, was taken over by Rubicon Partners in what was the seventh investment by the London equity firm through its institutional fund Rubicon Partners Fund V.