PDE have been commissioned to assist with the relocation of the Tobacco Expansion Plant from the JTI Cigar Factory located in Ballymena, Northern Ireland to a new factory in Gostkow, near Lodz in Poland.

The project comprises Project Management, M&E Design and Process Automation. Whilst the majority of the project will be undertaken & co-ordinated from PDE headquarters in Co. Antrim, three engineers from the project team will be on-site in Poland at various stages to assist with the re-commissioning of the plant.

The PDE team are more than familiar with the logistics of the plant having previously been involved in relocation of the facility on a number of occasions, including to and from the JR Freeman (Hamlet Cigar) factory in Cardiff.

Colin Smith, Senior Engineer & Manager of the Project said, “While it is sad to see the closure of the Gallaher factory in Ballymena, it is also exciting to be involved in yet another evolution of the 413 Plant. The plant has grown from very much a small experimental pilot plant to a fully-fledged production process, I count myself lucky to have been involved in its development and to have worked alongside a very professional and friendly engineering team at JTI.”

Full commissioning of the Poland facility is scheduled for November 2016.