Writech announces 50 new jobs and Swedish move as €1.8m centre opens

The last 12 months have been full of landmark achievements for Mullingar’s Writech Group – and this week two further events of note have been added to the tally, with the official opening of a €1.8m design and innovation centre and the announcement that the firm is the new owner of Ce Sprinkler, a leading Swedish fire-protection business.

The opening yesterday, Monday, of the word class design and innovation centre at the firm’s headquarters at Mullingar Business Park at Clonmore was performed by the Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy TD, who stated that with the completion of the facility, Writech will become one of the leading fire engineering design and innovation centres outside of the US.

“The development will enable the company to create 50 new high quality jobs in Mullingar, in addition to the more than 300 people employed by the group across Ireland, UK, the Nordics and Germany,” he stated.

Monday’s opening, and the announcement of Writech’s acquisition of Ce Sprinkler, which was founded in Sweden more than 70 years ago and which employs over 30 people, comes just two months after the firm’s acquisition of UK firm Compco, which added £50 million to Writech’s revenues and 200 people to the payroll to make Writech one of the largest and fastest growing fire protection companies in Ireland and the UK.

Compco is the leading UK provider of automatic fire suppression systems.

Founded in 1981, Writech provides global fire protection system design, manufacture, installation, commissioning and servicing to clients who include some of the largest blue-chip companies in the world, in a range of sectors including pharmaceutical, retail, data centres, office, and food and beverage.

The accelerated growth trajectory of Writech has been made possible by the significant support and partnership of Waterland Private Equity Ireland, who invested in the group last year.

The newly designed innovation centre and manufacturing base opened on Monday adjoins Writech’s existing building. Stretching over 16,000 square feet, and extending over three levels, it includes a gym, design and project innovation suites, offices and meeting areas.

Minister Troy paid tribute to the Wright brothers Ted and Alan, who are at the helm of the operation, and to the other members of the Writech firm: “I want to recognise the ambitious path you have embarked on to scale and grow the operations here in Mullingar and the commitment to innovation that has really been the red thread of Writech’s story from its foundation in 1985 by Thomas and Mary Wright.”

The minister said Monday’s events were significant not just for Writech, but for Mullingar, for Westmeath, and for the midlands as a whole: “Writech’s success demonstrates that Westmeath is a great place to do business. It gives a huge boost not just to Mullingar but to the people, the community. And it is that what sets companies like Writech apart and no doubt will serve them as they continue on their ambitious journey,” he stated.

Commenting on the announcements Ted Wright, CEO of Writech, said: “We are delighted to open this state of the art Design and Innovation Centre and the significant new jobs that this will create. As a company, we have always looked at being the leader in fire protection systems and developing new, cutting-edge future proofed services and solutions, while working with clients to ensure we develop and tailor products they require.

“Today is the culmination of a vision we had many years ago to build a world class operation here in Mullingar that will lead and change the industry across Ireland, Europe and beyond.

“I’d like to thank everyone who helped make this possible, including the team here at Writech and our partners and clients around the world, along with the support and investment we’ve received from Waterland and Enterprise Ireland.

“I’m also delighted to welcome the Ce Sprinkler team to the group. The company is an excellent addition to the group and opens up further opportunities in new markets as we continue to expand our reach and prospects for future growth around Europe. We’re looking forward to sharing our collective expertise and building on our strong position and the success we’ve achieved so far.”