Abbey Machinery opened its new purpose-built manufacturing facility in Toomevara, Co Tipperary, on Tuesday 3 May.

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan officially opened the plant and was joined by Abbey Machinery’s network of dealers from around the world.

Commissioner Hogan said that “Abbey Machinery has a long history as one of the most innovative, dynamic and forward-looking companies, with a history soaked in engineering and in agriculture”.

Special guest at the event was Mary Cavanagh who in 1947 co-founded the company with her husband Joe, having worked in the US in the aluminium industry in the 1930s. Joe returned to Ireland with new skills to start Abbey Machinery. The company employs approximately 100 people today.

Mary was accompanied at the launch by four generations of the Cavanagh family. In 1970, Charles joined the business and assumed the role of managing director and was replaced by his daughter, Clodagh Cavanagh, as managing director in 2014. The site was bought by Abbey Machinery in 2012 when the decision was made to leave the original factory in Nenagh.

Clodagh said: “We were delighted to have been able to be joined by our network of dealers from around the world for this very special event. Our world-class products now have a world-class home. The day before the official launch, Abbey Machinery opened the doors to the local public to view the new facility, with over 2,000 people turning up to see the inside of the modern factory.

“We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and the interest we received on the open day and could not believe the crowd that gathered to participate in factory tours as we only advertised locally,” she added.

The new production facility is 100,000 square feet, situated on a 30-acre site. It provides several new production lines and boasts a host of new features and equipment, including enhanced laser and plasma-cutting facilities, semi-automated robotic welding and a state-of-the-art sand blasting and paint plant.

The new premises will also provide an extra 35% warehouse capacity for Abbeys Q Parts business, enabling increased levels of service to its growing global customer base.

Pat Kenny, sales and business development manager with Abbey Machinery, said that 60% of the products are exported. The UK, New Zealand and Australia are the big markets. Depending on the season, the lead time on ordering a new machine is in the region of 16 weeks.

In the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan’s address, he noted that the loss of the Russian market has been a loss across the whole of Europe for agriculture. He went on to say that the potential in the Middle East is growing for machines as it becomes affluent and develops its farming systems.

Commissioner Hogan added that the availability of credit is vital for the machinery industry, and the target is that Irish customers should have access to funds at European interest rates.