New life in store for former Mayo Volex plant

THREE companies - Food 360, unger Planet Technology and Bright Beam - have confirmed they are setting up industries in the Global Sustainability Centre (GSC) being set up at the former Volex plant at Breaffy Road in Castlebar.

Food 360, a Galway-based company, provides innovative services to farmers and food producers, affording a reliable path to market or directly to consumers, with a global reach.

It was founded by Declan Droney (Kinvara Smoked Salmon) and Brendan Allen (Castlemine Farm).

Hunger Planet Technology is a vertical farming equipment manufacturer and the move is expected to provide the firm with less costly access to rapidly growing international markets, cut raw material transportation costs and improve the company’s competitive cost advantage.

Brisbane-based Bright Beam is a solar lighting innovation and manufacturing company which has announced plans to relocate its main assembly plant to Castlebar. The firm, which is finalising its lease terms with GSC, will manufacture its LED solar lighting products in Mayo, providing it with faster access to the rapidly growing EU market.

Ballinrobe-based contractors Tim Kelly Group is carrying out renovations of the building which was sold to Opensparkz Limited by Mayo County Council a number of months ago.

Local Fine Gael Councillor Cyril Burke, who has been spearheading the project, said the former Volex plant once employed 1,000 people and he hoped the void created by those losses will be filled over the coming months with the new jobs coming on stream.

“This project is a global play and will have a significant impact on Castlebar and Mayo into the future,” he said.

He praised senior officials of Mayo County Council and the Local Enterprise Office, as well as the promoters, Opensparkz, for their work in collaborating on the delivery of the project.