An exciting new £4 million manufacturing facility has been announced for Global Point Business Park in County Antrim.

Steel Mac Distribution (SMD) Ltd is investing in the business park, bringing a new facility to the already sought-after manufacturing hub.

Currently located at Titanic Quarter in Belfast, SMD specialises in manufacturing rebar and coil for the construction industry. The firm is the only manufacturer of CARES approved cold rolled rebar in coil on the island of Ireland.

SMD intends to develop a new manufacturing facility extending to 3217m2 on lands north of Global Point Avenue. Some 40 construction jobs and 15 post construction jobs are to be created by this investment.

The proposed development at Global Point, which is owned by Invest NI, further enhances the portfolio of high quality manufacturing investments planned for this site.

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A number of major investments in the pipeline for Global Point include a £150m canning factory by manufacturing giant Ardagh Metal Packaging, the £98m Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (AMIC) led by Queen's University and Sensata's new £16.5m research and development centre.

These strategic investments will sit alongside the multi-million pound, world-class manufacturing facility RLC Engineering, which was the first company to take up occupancy on Global Point.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Alderman Stephen Ross said: "Global Point is fast becoming a highly desirable and sought after location for manufacturing companies, both big and small.

"This latest investment by Steel Mac Distribution Ltd is a prime example of the type of business we are aiming to attract to this exceptional location, which is on course to become a cluster of manufacturing excellence."

Chair of the Council's Planning Committee, Alderman Fraser Agnew added: "This is another step on the path to transforming Global Point into an outstanding hub for manufacturing. The Council is well on course to achieve its target of £1billion investment and creating 2000 jobs by 2025."

James McMahon, Manager of Steel Mac Distribution Ltd commented: "We are delighted that our proposed investment in Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough has reached this major milestone, particularly following a smooth and efficient planning process.

"We are really excited about the potential for our company to benefit not only from this great location but also the highly skilled workforce in the surrounding area. We look forward to working with the council officers and elected members to bring forward this significant investment."