50 jobs secured in Lisburn with Canadian takeover

McCormick MacNaughton, which is based at Blaris Industrial Estate on the Altona Road, appointed PriceWaterhouseCooper as administrators in June and there were fears that the 56 employees would lose their jobs.

However, this week Finning International Inc announced it had been appointed as the Caterpillar dealer for Northern Ireland and had acquired McCormick MacNaughton assets from the Administrator at a cost of approximately 3.1million.

They have confirmed the staff employed at the Lisburn have all been transferred to Finning.

"We are pleased to add this neighbouring territory to our established UK operations. We will be able to leverage our existing infrastructure and service expertise to complement our UK dealership," said Mike Waites, President and CEO of Finning. "Being awarded the dealer territory for Northern Ireland speaks highly of Finning's relationship with Caterpillar."

Neil Dickinson, Managing Director of Finning UK added: "As part of this agreement, we acquire an active power systems portfolio, as well as access to opportunities in construction. We look forward to providing unrivalled service to customers in our new territory."

Finning International Inc. is the world's largest Caterpillar equipment dealer and has been in existence since 1933. Finning sells, rents and services equipment and engines.

Headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., the company operates in Western Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, and the United Kingdom.