BEST FAMILY BUSINESS: Continuous expansion at Cootehill Precision Engineering
Cootehill Precision Engineering provides machine components for different industries throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The family business began in a shed in 1992, and constantly expanded until the operation moved to its new location on the Cavan Road in Cootehill, where it continues to grow.
They manufacture using materials such as stainless steel, aluminum and plastics, among others.
“My father started it in a workshop at home in 1992 along with my mother,” said Manager Aaron McIntyre, explaining that his mother Caroline sadly passed away in 2016.
“It was started in the garage at home and then there was another extension built on to that garage,” he added.
In 1999, the business moved out to the Cavan Road in Cootehill where they built two units. Since then, the firm has continued to grow with further extensions.
“That’s how the business started and progressed.”
Aaron began in the family business as an apprentice toolmaker when he left school in 2013 and took a more managerial role during Covid.
“I learned the basics and I learned how to programme the machines and learned all the skills I needed to know and then sort of took over from Dad.”
His brother Ben “would have done summer work” in the business and went on to do project management in college in Dundalk; while his sister Kate studied to become a primary school teacher.
“My father is semi-retired and I do the day-to-day running of the business now,” he said, adding that his father is still involved in the business.
“It’s good to have another set of eyes there,” he said, adding that they “get on the best” working together.
“Sometimes I think I’m right and sometimes he thinks he’s right, at the end of the day, whoever is right, we’d agree on it.”
He highly praised the 17 staff employed there, some of whom have been with the business for thirty years.
“All of them, we’re grateful for them, they're loyal to us. Without them we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
In the future, Aaron plans to add “a few more machines” and also aspires to “employ more people” and export more products to Northern Ireland and the UK.
He reported that business is “steady.”
“We take a lot of pride in it. At the end of the day, we try to keep all of the customers happy and I’m always at the end of the phone if there's anything wrong.
“I think we’ve a good relationship with our customers and they trust us and we help them out when they’re stuck.
“We care at the end of the day, the door doesn’t close at six o’clock.”
CONTACT US
Cootehill Precision Engineering is located at Cootehill Business Park, Cavan Road, Cootehill.
Call: 049-5552916
Email: aaron@cootehillprecisionengineering.com