Killarney firm to create up to 40 jobs - Kerry’s Eye - 04/09

A Killarney company has created a world first by coming up with a machine specifically designed to manufacture wood pellets and with the potential to create between 35 and 40 new jobs.

Prior to this innovation, launched by Kerry Biomass in Fossa last Friday after a €1.25 million research and development programme over six years, the wood pellet industry relied entirely on adapted animal feed pelletizing technology.

The Integrated Wood Pelletizing System was unveiled at the Fossa plant to a group of 56 market leaders in wood pellet manufacture and bioenergy.

The launch was followed by a meeting at the Hotel Europe where Kerry Biomass hosted a dinner for the visitors that night.

Kerry Biomass is a division of Kerry Die Products Ltd, a leader in the manufacture of dies for the animal feed and wood pelletizing industries for over 30 years.

“We changed from animal feed when we saw an opportunity in the market to get into wood pelleting”, Kerry Die Products found and CEO, Liam O’Connor, said.

“The slowdown in agriculture was continuing and we were looking at new, innovative areas to go into.  The one that suited us best was wood pellets.”

Mr O’Connor said manufacture of the new machine for markets in Scandanavia, Germany, Austria and North America would begin in the next month or two. 

The group operates two facilities, a manufacturing and head office in Fossa, and a service centre in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Kerry Die Products expects to assemble and test the new Integrated Wood Pelletizing System at their existing facility in Fossa and that will create both manufacturing and R&D jobs for Kerry.

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