IJM Timber Engineering Ltd to expand lean and digital capabilities

•  IJM Timber Engineering awarded Enterprise Ireland funding for an ambitious productivity improvement programme under the Housing for All ‘Built to Innovate’ programme

Monaghan-based IJM Timber Engineering has secured funding under Enterprise Ireland’s ‘Built to Innovate’ initiative, a programme aimed at achieving faster, higher-quality construction of housing by providing funding support for productivity training, innovation and the introduction of digital, paperless systems.

According to the Irish Timber Frame Manufacturers’ Association, timber frame accounted for just under 50% of all low-rise scheme housing delivered in 2021.

Off-site construction, and more specifically timber frame construction, has been identified as being key to the construction sector being able to halve its carbon emissions by 2030 as set out in the government’s Climate Action Plan as well as meet the housing delivery objectives of the Government’s Housing for All plan.

Established in 1965, IJM Timber Engineering was the pioneers of timber frame construction in Ireland and the UK. From their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility based in Monaghan town, IJM specialises in the design, manufacture, installation and certification of quality A-rated energy efficient timber frame buildings.

The Enterprise Ireland Built to Innovate funding under the Government’s Housing for All plan will enable IJM to further enhance its digital technologies and upskill its staff in the latest Lean processes.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys has welcomed the announcement, saying: “I want to commend IJM who have been awarded Enterprise Ireland funding under the ‘Built to Innovate’ initiative.

“The Government, through Enterprise Ireland, is working with industry to strengthen the residential construction supply chain. Schemes such as this will help the construction sector prove new technologies that will ultimately help speed up the delivery of big infrastructure projects.

Enterprise Ireland is helping companies such as IJM maximise the value of modern methods of construction, and I look forward to seeing this new technology being further utilised to deliver thousands of much-needed homes in the years ahead.”

Carol Gibbons, Divisional Manager, Regions and Local Enterprise in Enterprise Ireland, commented: “The Enterprise Ireland ‘Built to Innovate’ initiative aims to improve construction productivity by increasing offsite production in factory-controlled environments and by improving site and factory processes. IJM Timber Engineering is implementing an ambitious development plan which addresses these objectives, and we welcome the steps the company is taking to further enhance its digital technologies and upskill its staff in advanced Lean processes.”

Peter McCaughey, Managing Director, IJM Timber Engineer said, “We were delighted to work with Enterprise Ireland under the Built to Innovate programme as part of the national Housing for All plan. We have taken huge strides in achieving greater productivity through the integration of digital technologies and lean processes into our operations over the past few years. With the support of Enterprise Ireland, we are now entering a new phase of development that will be of enormous benefit to our clients and help us increase our output to meet the needs of the Housing for All plan.

By that the end of 2025, we plan to have nearly doubled our capacity from 1,100 to 2,000 units per annum, which will be achieved through increased productivity in our 10-acre facility in Monaghan and other facilities in Dundalk and Ardee. We look forward to bringing our operations to another level and using Lean to improve on efficiencies achieved to date.”

About IJM Timber Engineering Ltd.

IJM Timber Engineering is a family-owned business founded in Monaghan in 1965. The company employs 160 people directly at its manufacturing facilities and over 100 indirectly at sites across Ireland. It supplies high-quality, sustainable timber frame houses and other building types across Ireland.