BELFAST, Belfast, Northern Ireland—Smiley Monroe Ltd., a Northern Irish manufacturer of heavy-duty conveyor belts and CNC cut rubber parts, is investing ,more than $3 million in an expansion project over the next two years.
The company, based in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, will create 31 new jobs with the expansion project. The family-owned operation current has 96 employees.
Smiley Monroe's product range includes energy-saving rollers, synthetic screen media and conveyor belt cleaning systems. They are used globally in sectors such as mobile crushing, recycling, mining, quarrying, cement works, fertilizer plants, and biomass.
“We are aiming to substantially increase turnover, broaden our customer base and boost export sales through developing new products and services and growing the company's manufacturing capability,” said Vaughan Monroe, managing director of Smiley Monroe.
The company is “particularly excited about the potential of the customized chevron conveyor belts that we have recently developed with support from Invest NI,” Monroe said.
Invest Northern Ireland has offered nearly $400,000 of assistance toward new equipment and the lease of additional factory space. This support is partially funded by the European Regional Development Fund.