Ross Companies puts £3.6m into Ballymena expansion with 25 new jobs

Ballymena-based engineering manufacturer Ross Companies is investing £3.6m to expand its manufacturing capacity and create 25 jobs, with Invest Northern Ireland offering £125,000 towards the new roles, the agency said on 29 October.

The company plans to grow its workforce from 29 to 54 people over the next three years, according to Invest NI. The investment is intended to support sales growth in Great Britain and Ireland.

Invest NI said the spend would increase manufacturing capacity, bring additional processes in-house and support the development of the company's industrial filtration product range. It covers the company's recently acquired and refurbished premises near Ahoghill and the recruitment of engineering, manufacturing and management staff.

William Ross, Managing Director at Ross Companies, said: "This investment reflects the confidence we have in the future growth of our business. Over the last few years, we have transformed from a small maintenance-focused operation into a multi-disciplinary engineering manufacturer serving customers across several sectors."

The business

Ross Companies was established in 2017 and designs, manufactures, installs, finishes and maintains industrial equipment, Invest NI said. Its customers are in quarrying and aggregates, cement and concrete, food and drink production, animal feeds, waste, recycling and energy, and wider industrial manufacturing.

On its website the company says it fabricates, machines and folds in its own Ballymena workshop and holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, SSIP and CE marking to EN 1090. It was named Engineering Services Company of the Year 2025/26 at the NI Prestige Awards.

Companies House records the company's nature of business as engineering design activities for industrial process and production.

Invest NI said turnover had risen from £345,000 in 2019 to about £3.78m, and the company expects it to pass £5m within two years. When it was named a finalist at the Ballymena Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards in October 2025, the company reported 428% sales growth over three years. It won High Growth Business of the Year at the Federation of Small Businesses Awards in 2022.

Earlier support

The offer follows previous Invest NI backing through its Ambition to Grow and Grow Beyond programmes, which the agency said helped the company refine its growth strategy, expand employment and increase turnover.

In an earlier Invest NI release, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said Ambition to Grow had supported more than 250 companies since it began in 2022, and that the external sales generated by participants had the potential to generate £78m of new business by 2027. Invest NI describes Grow Beyond as an early stage export programme for manufacturing and tradeable services businesses, delivered through workshops and one-to-one mentoring.

Iain Joannides, Head of Regional Business, Eastern Region, Invest NI, said: "Building on previous Invest NI support, this investment will help Ross Companies strengthen its manufacturing capability, increase productivity and expand its presence in external markets."

In-house processing

Invest NI said that by increasing in-house processing the company would improve resource efficiency and reduce its reliance on outsourced manufacturing. Mr Ross said demand for its filtration and engineered products was growing as businesses sought to improve efficiency and meet tighter environmental requirements.

The company has published its own version of the announcement under the headline "£3.6m investment to create 25 new jobs". It says it gave more than £15,000 to local charities and community projects in the year to October 2025, and was Highly Commended for Skills Development at the Ballymena Business Excellence Awards 2026.

The 25 new roles are to be filled over the three years to take the headcount to 54.