Nenagh family business celebrates new factory

May Bank Holiday Monday 2016 will be a special day for Abbey Machinery and the local community as the leading family-run firm officially opens its new base at Toomevara.

A barbeque, ice cream, factory tours, spot prizes and lots more fun is planned for the day, which will be an opportunity for people to come and see the marvellous new facility built by the local Cavanagh manufacturers of farm machinery.

May is a momentous month for the family as Mary Cavanagh - who, along with her late husband Joe, was one of the founding members of Abbey Machinery in 1947 - will celebrate her 100th birthday.

The Toomevara factory represents the latest chapter in the history of the Cavanagh family business, which stretches back over 110 years to when the family opened a successful foundry business at Abbey Lane in Nenagh. Thereafter, the Cavanaghs moved their business to the Well Road before relocating to the 36-acre site at Toomevara in order to meet the growing demand for its products locally and internationally – Abbey Machinery exports all over the world, to countries like Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iceland, as well as Europe and the UK.

Long admired by passers-by, the innovative, state-of-the-art factory at Toomevara commenced operations in early 2015. This purpose-built 100,000 square foot facility represents a €10 million investment in the area.

Around 100 people are employed by Abbey Machinery. They are mainly local and many of them have a background in farming. They manufacture a wide-range of agricultural machines, including slurry and manure handling equipment, and a range of animal feeding equipment.

Almost all of the steel brought into the massive factory is cut and shaped by the skilled workers onsite. Abbey can design and build a vast array of machines, customised to meet the individual operator's requirements.

As well as fabrication, Abbey Machinery specialises in sophisticated laser cutting, semi-automated rolling and blast/paint processing.

There is also a dedicated Research & Development facility on the Toomevara premises. Here, a number of innovative engineers are engaged with the latest design products using AutoCAD software.

Clodagh Cavanagh is the Managing Director at Abbey Machinery and her brother Owen is a Director of the company. They have taken up the mantle from their father, Charlie Cavanagh, and they represent a fourth generation of this accomplished local business.

Ms Cavanagh said the new factory at Toomevara has given the company the competitive advantage it needs to grow and compete on a global scale. The spacious premises with its strategic layout allows the company to achieve so much more than before. Its accessible location also enables Abbey Machinery to get product to the market faster and more efficiently than previously.

The Managing Director took the opportunity to praise all of the staff at Abbey Machinery for their hard work and dedication, and also the company's customers for their loyalty and support over the generations. Indeed, the Abbey brand has been trusted by generations and the company continues to pride itself on the longevity of its products. Ms Cavanagh invited everyone to come and see what this innovative company is all about next week and to share in its positive growth into the future.

The open day on Monday May 2nd will be held from 1pm to 4pm. The barbeque – with food provided by Nenagh's multi-award winning Country Choice deli – will take place between 1pm and 3pm.