SDC Trailers has passed a manufacturing milestone after its 10,000th trailer rolled off the company’s new production line in Toomebridge, three years after the facility became operational.
This latest landmark event comes as the company continues to see a surge in demand, with one new SDC trailer going into production every 16 minutes.
The semi-automated new production line was commissioned in August 2018 as part of a £7m expansion to SDC’s existing Northern Ireland base, to meet additional demand for their trailer range.
The milestone boxvan trailer was produced for hire and leasing specialist TIP Trailers Services and is one of over 150,000 manufactured by SDC since the company was established in 1978.
SDC operates four production sites in Toomebridge, Antrim and Mansfield offering a range of options including curtainsiders, boxvans, platform, skeletal, machine carrier and drawbar trailers. It also provides lifecycle customer support through its dedicated after-sales teams who provide spare parts, fleet graphics, breakdown assistance, trailer repair, refurbishment, modification and second-hand sales.
Paul Bratton, SDC’s group president, said: “I am proud to be able to announce that we have reached such a fantastic milestone three years after this facility was opened.
“While technology, innovation and investment have helped us to meet customer demand, it is our loyal, long-serving staff members who have truly shaped the company’s success and the proven reliability of our trailers.
“I would like to thank every member of our team who worked to achieve this 10,000th trailer milestone, they do an incredible job ensuring every trailer engineered is designed and finished to our exacting quality standards.”
SDC’s Toomebridge production manager, Eoin McErlean, who has been with the company for 35 years, added: “This milestone is testament to SDC’s commitment to producing the leading trailer solutions in the industry and it could not have happened without our production, engineering and R&D teams who have served the leading haulage and logistics providers over the last 43 years.
“At SDC we are committed to developing trailer solutions that further advance safety and operational efficiency, and lean manufacturing is central to this. The new facility in Toomebridge has allowed us to enhance the efficiency of our processes and remain competitive, delivering quality products to customers with minimum lead time.”
