Larne company confirms 18 redundancies

Mayor Cllr Peter Johnston was given a tour of Kilwaughter Minerals recently.

It is understood that 14 posts could be axed at the end of October at Kilwaughter Minerals Ltd and a further four in Northhamptonshire.

The firm employs around 200 people at two manufacturing sites with six distribution facilities and is one of the UK’s largest independent manufacturers of silicone render.

Kilwaughter Minerals, which was established in 1939, is a quarry and mineral processor, which manufactures and distributes limestone-based products under the K Rend and Kilwaughter Lime brands.

In 2018, the manufacturer expanded its business to England with the £4.5m purchase of Alumasc Facades in Northamptonshire, a leading UK supplier of external wall insulation systems and render products.

Commenting on the forthcoming redundancies, a spokesperson for Kilwaughter Minerals said: “We have 14 roles at risk of redundancy in NI and four in GB.

“Having considered the impact from the coronavirus pandemic to some of our markets, we are taking the necessary action to restructure the organisation and have worked hard to minimise the number of roles at risk of redundancy.

“We will be working closely with our employees who are impacted to fully support them during this time. Our commitment to our customers, our people and our products remain core to our future.”

The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Peter Johnston, praised the “resilience, agility and innovation” of the company for its work during the Covid crisis on a recent visit to Kilwaughter (read more here).

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter.

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