Economy Minister Visits MJM as part of Manufacturing Month

Minister for the Economy, Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA has marked Manufacturing NI’s (MNI) Manufacturing Month by launching the Manufacturing and the Northern Ireland Economy report on a visit to MJM Marine in Newry earlier this month. The ‘Meet the Makers’ event saw the Minister joined by other manufacturing businesses from across Northern Ireland meet global cruise ship interior fitout business MJM Marine and tour its production facilities.

Minister for the Economy, Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: “I welcome the opportunity to join Manufacturing NI in marking Manufacturing Month and launching this report at MJM Marine. It rightly recognises the positive impact that the manufacturing sector has on our local economy, jobs, and exports. Thank you to Manufacturing NI and everyone who contributed to the development of this report, and for the work you do to drive this sector forward.

“It is important that government policy is informed by, and co-designed with, industry. The report will provide helpful analysis as I progress the priorities of my economic vision.”

The report found that the manufacturing sector is a large contributor to the Northern Ireland economy, accounting for 13.4% of total economic output. The over £6 billion worth of output makes the sector the second largest in terms of economic contribution after retail and wholesale. The report also found that the sector accounts for 17% of private sector jobs and 21% of turnover, all while accounting for just 6% of total private business sector population.

On the visit Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive, Manufacturing NI, said:  “MJM is a great example of what makes our manufacturing economy so strong. They provide good jobs at a regional level; they are export focused and have a huge indirect and induced impact on the economy.”

The sector accounted for nearly 100,000 jobs in 2023, representing one in 10 workforce jobs across Northern Ireland (compared to 7.1% in the UK), with 250,000 jobs in total – a quarter of all jobs in the NI economy – supported by the sector. For every £1 million manufacturing generates as a sector, its value has been found to increase to £1.7 million in total value.

Manufacturing Month, run by MNI, sees a series of events, including the Anchor High Summit, a major leadership summit in Belfast on 29th May. MJM Marine is part of the McConville family-owned Rathbane Group which includes a number of other local manufacturing businesses: Mivan, Topglass and NTS.

Gary Annett, CEO, MJM Marine, said: “It is an honour to welcome Minister Archibald MLA and the MNI members to MJM Marine to mark Manufacturing Month and the launch of this report. MJM Marine has grown over the past 40 years to become a global leader in the marine fitout industry, working with the best-known brands in the cruise industry including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Holland America.

“We could not have done this without a strong manufacturing base here in our home location in Newry. We hope that we can help to continue to develop Northern Ireland as a cluster region for providing quality service, demonstrating quality processes, and manufacturing quality products, which are celebrated and sold right across the world.”

Manufacturing Month runs until 29th May

See www.manufacturingmonthni.com for more