Teemore Engineering celebrated its 50th anniversary year in style with a special open day on the premises on Thursday last when they invited farmers and suppliers.

Around 180 people attended the event which took the form of a series of seminars.

Chairing the event was Brian Donaldson, agricultural journalist from Fermanagh, who firstly interviewed Victor Wilson, Director, and his son, Colin, Managing Director.

Victor established the company in 1973 along with David McMullen and since then the company has been at the forefront in the design, supply and manufacturer of the highest-quality livestock housing and handling equipment.

Also speaking was David Brown, President of the Ulster Farmers’ Union; Councillor Thomas O’Reilly (SF), Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, and Cormac McKervey, Head Agriculture and Environmental Advocate for Ulster Bank and the NatWest Group.

Ray Foy, Sales Manager of Teemore Engineering, gave an overview of the company and explained how it had grown.

He in turn introduced Dominic Jourdain, Director of Jourdain, and Jean-Vincent Bioret, of Bioret Agri, both French suppliers of specialist equipment, and also Jamie Robertson, Director of Livestock Management Systems.

Partnership

Dominic spoke about the partnership of Teemore Engineering and Jourdain.

Jean-Vincent Bioret also gave an outline of his company’s business of manufacturing comfort mats as well as explaining the effects of heat stress in cattle and how his products can prevent some of the problems.

He went on to speak about thd work his company is doing in relation to ammonia reduction.

Following a question and answer session, all those attending were able to tour the factory premises and enjoy a barbecue.

From very humble beginnings since being established by Mr. Wilson and Mr. McMullen in 1973, Teemore Engineering has risen to become one of the largest private sector employers in the South-West Fermanagh area.

Mr. McMullen was one of 80 guests in attendance at a celebration dinner, held in Enniskillen earlier this week.

Innovation has been at the heart of the tremendous success enjoyed by Teemore over the past 50 years.

Allied to this has been the commitment to manufacture and source products to the highest quality standards.

The quality, robustness and longevity of the Teemore product range have enhanced the reputation of the company.

The ethos of putting the customer first has been at the heart of the decision-making process within Teemore Engineering from the very outset.

These principles were instilled from the very beginning by Mr. Wilson and more recently his son, Colin, along with the management team at Teemore and they have resonated very strongly throughout the entire 50-year history of the business.

Mr. Wilson said: “The vision for the business has always been to develop new engineering concepts that will deliver greater levels of efficiency within agriculture.

“Looking back over five decades, I take great satisfaction from the fact that Teemore Engineering has such a strong reputation in this regard.

“I would like to particularly thank all our customers for their support, so many of whom come back to us time after time.”

He thanked Fermanagh Council and numerous government support agencies for the support received over many years.

His son Colin Wilson, the current Managing Director of Teemore Engineering, said: “I believe we can look forward to an extremely bright future

"£1m investment”

“We have recently committed to a £1m investment programme at the company, one which will allow us to significantly expand the scope of the business. This project will get under way in early 2024.”

Teemore currently employs 55 people, generating an annual turnover of approximately £16million.

The company supplies a selection of housing, flooring, fencing, feeding and bespoke animal management solutions for farmers in the dairy, beef, sheep and equine sectors.

The 50th anniversary event was attended by numerous farming and political leaders and representatives from civic society in the Fermanagh area and beyond.

Colin Wilson concluded: “Farm businesses face pressure to become more sustainable. Lowering emissions and increasing productivity through better animal husbandry and welfare are seen as key strategic goals for the future.

“Advancements in housing technologies and correct equipment will reduce ammonia emissions; improve animal health and comfort and reduce the need for medical intervention.

“These will essentially lead to more sustainable farming with higher productivity.

“Teemore Engineering have solutions to assist farmers in meeting the coming challenges and we are ideally located in both the UK and Ireland to deliver these solutions,” he said.

For further Teemore content, see Pages 24-25.