Company headed by Athlone man expands into Mexico
A company founded and headed up by an Athlone native has opened the first phase of a €15 million Mexican investment.
Mergon Group, a global leader in plastics manufacturing, led by Pat Beirne, a native of Auburn Terrace, Athlone, has officially opened its new green field facility in Ramos Arizpe, near Saltillo, Mexico.
The company, which celebrated 40 years in business last year, and is based in Castlepollard, expects to create 150 new jobs in the first year.
Pat Beirne, CEO of Mergon, said: “I am very excited about the opportunities that Mergon Mexico offers us. We have ambitious plans to grow our North American business, and this is an integral step in achieving that.
Over the last decade Mergon has become a key design and manufacturing partner for light weight air management systems and clear vision systems to electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers in the US. These companies are forecasting strong growth over the coming years and Mergon is helping them achieve their vision.
The establishment of Mergon Mexico is a strong indicator of future growth for Mergon’s North American operations. A major influence in the selection of Coahuila State was the support of the Federal and local Coahuila State Government, as well as Coahuila’s highly skilled workforce and proximity to key customers.
The group has manufacturing operations in Ireland, Czech Republic, UK and the USA, producing components and high tech assemblies for a range of global customers such as BMW, Rivian, and Xerox. The new purpose-built plant will allow Mergon to realise its ambitious growth plans, focusing on the automotive and industrial sectors.
Coinciding with the opening of its fifth global location, Mergon has appointed Aoife Beirne as Deputy CEO to drive the expansion of the organisation.
Aoife is currently Mergon’s Chief Transformation Officer, and was previously Chief of Staff in An Post where she steered the recent transformation of the State company.
Pat Beirne said: “ I am delighted to appoint Aoife Beirne as Deputy CEO. Since Aoife re-joined Mergon in 2019 she has brought the corporate expertise to integrate new investment and oversee the expansion of the Group. I want to thank our 1,000 employees worldwide for their skills which have made Mergon a leader in our industry.”
Earlier this year Mergon acquired Weltonhurst, in Blackburn UK, a leading blow moulder. The recent expansion sees Mergon employing over 1000 people worldwide, across five countries.