FEATURE
District Focus: Ards and North Down Ards and North Down is a hotchpotch of successful business entities. From globally recognised brands to names making waves behind the scenes in their respective industries. Emma Deighan talks to those at the top of their game in the district.
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f the 11 district council areas in Northern Ireland, seven saw declines in the number of employee jobs over the year to September 2020. Ards and North Down, however, saw an increase of 843 according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. It’s only one statistic out of many that illustrate the buoyancy of industry in the area, even despite one of the most challenging backdrops, but it’s the established names there that demonstrate the true success of commerce and industry in the area. Based in Bangor, Whale is one of those big success stories. Part of US company Brunswick Corporation, it was recently integrated into its Advanced Systems Group. ASG is a portfolio of brands that serve the marine and RV markets around the world as a ‘one-stop shop’ for parts and accessories, through both aftermarket and OEM channels. Currently there are 220 people employed at the Bangor design and manufacturing facility. The company’s heritage is rich, Patrick Roberts, managing director and director of operations ASG EMEA, tells Ambition. “Munster Simms, as the business was originally known, was founded in 1810 as an importing business, eventually going
on to have one of the largest petroleum distribution networks in Ireland,” he says. “The company entered the marine market in the late 1930s, supplying brass bilge pumps to the Royal Navy as part of the war effort. With the growth of the leisure industry in the 1960s the business entered new market segments including the caravan market. Fast forward several years later and Whale is now one of the most well-known brands within the markets it serves.” Whale was acquired by Brunswick Corporation in 2014, which has enabled further investment in product development, people and facilities. The brawn that acquisition brought has allowed the North Down company to collaborate with sister companies, “providing deeper insights and access to the latest technologies”. Today the Whale facility consists of two sites with 8000 sq metres – W1 (offices and assembly) and W2 – (R&D and polymers). Patrick says a growth area for Whale is “the ever-growing ‘Van Life’ movement”. He continues: “Since the beginning of the pandemic, foreign travel has taken a step back as more and more people go on staycations. This trend seems to be
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here to stay, with increasing numbers of van conversion businesses popping up and high numbers of people buying vans and converting them into campervans themselves. “During 2019, we created a website specifically targeting van converters (www.whalevanlife.com) to help users on their build journey and highlight why our products should be used. Products such as our underfloor space heater, Heat Air, or water heating system, Expanse, are the perfect heating solutions for these vehicles.” He adds the healthcare market has presented even more opportunities for the business including pumped shower drainage solutions for the removal of waste water in level access shower adaptations where gravity is not an option. “Due to the aging demographic, we expect to see an increase in the number of level access shower adaptations being undertaken, as these ultimately give the end user more independence.” The business is split between three key regions: UK 55%, Europe 35% and North America 10%. Speaking about the benefits of being a North Down-based business, Patrick says “access to an engaged, committed, educated workforce” is one of the biggest geographical assets. He adds: “In return Whale is committed to providing stable, secure and rewarding employment. Bangor and North Down in general is also a great place to live in terms of the coastline, local amenities and the proximity to Belfast and travel connections.” Creating sparks in the electrical world is Kane Engineering in Newtownards. The manufacturer of low voltage electrical switchgear recently celebrated 50 years in business. Director Damien Kane says the firm has completed more than 6,000 switchgear projects in its lifetime, with its work behind the scenes of virtually every corporate and commercial entity. Among its recent works are Titanic Belfast; Belfast Metropolitan College; Queen’s University Belfast; the new Ulster University campus; the National Portrait Gallery, London; and The Emory hotel, London. He says: “Our customers are primarily
