Oldcastle Engineering firm’s new contract opens door to Europe
Hand Engineering, an engineering firm based near Oldcastle, has secured a contract with a leading European distributor based in the Netherlands to supply excavator attachments. The distributor has dealers across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and also has a significant online presence in those countries. The contract is the first that Hand Engineering has secured of its size. Since its signing on 15th October, shipments have already left weekly, and it is envisaged that this demand will continue. Hand Engineering manufactures excavator attachments for the construction, horticultural, agricultural and forestry sectors and also manufactures tractor attachments, including pick-up hitches for the agricultural sector. Founded in 1995 in Dromone, Oldcastle, the company currently employs 10 people. Hand Engineering launched its e-commerce website (www.handengineering.com) in late December 2009 and has become one of the largest online stores for construction and agricultural attachments. The company claims it is the only manufacturing engineering company in the world to sell tractor pick-up hitches online. Darragh Hand, managing director of Hand Engineering, said: “Since the launch of our e-commerce website in late December 2009, we have had visitors and enquiries from 85 countries globally, including New Zealand, the US, Canada and other countries across Europe. Online sales have grown steadily with sales from countries such as Slovenia, Finland, Norway and the UK.†He added: “It is envisaged that we shall sign similar contracts with other interested distributors across the EU within the coming months. Years of experience in providing engineered solutions has provided Hand Engineering with invaluable insight into the needs of its customers.†Hand Engineering says it has clearly demonstrated how a small Irish company can distinguish itself from global competitors by focusing on providing quality innovative products tailored to specific customer requirements.