EIGHT new jobs have been created by Kenwell Engineering in Dromore, a new company established by father and son Charles and Gareth Kenwell.

Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Jonathan Bell officially opened Kenwell Engineering Ltd last Thursday, saying: “It is wonderful to see the growth of a locally owned company.” In order to help grow the company, Invest NI has offered Kenwell Engineering Ltd £32,095 of support towards the creation of eight new jobs and marketing and development assistance.

Minister Bell stated: “As a result of the anticipated increase in business, the company has recognised the need to grow their staff and, with the support of Invest Northern Ireland, will be creating an additional eight jobs within the next year. These new roles will provide salaries above the private sector median and contribute a valuable boost to the local economy.

“Invest NI has built up a relationship with Kenwell Engineering over the past year and has offered support which will enable the company to get into production straight away. This will allow the generation of sales, not only in Northern Ireland but in key export markets, to help support the future growth of the business.” Gareth Kenwell, 29, a native of Dromore and son of Charles and Helen Kenwell said: “Our new business will focus on the development of a range of commercial equipment, together with the supply and fit of structural steel for agricultural and industrial purposes. We will also offer design consultancy services.

“We have already manufactured and delivered digger tracks to a customer in Denmark and we are currently working on a range of new products which we have designed internally.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister and Invest NI for their support and guidance which has been vital in enabling us to establish our business and all those involved in making today’s opening a success.” Gareth’s father Charles Kenwell is a partner in A E Kenwell & Sons which is a third generation business that has been trading in Dromore for over 100 years. The company has historically supplied traditional agricultural hardware and more recently has become involved with the supply of structural steel.