AWARD-winning Antrim based MDF mouldings firm, SAM, has announced a £7m investment. This will go toward the creation of a new 45,000 square foot warehouse in the town.
The company currently has a 175-strong workforce. The new warehouse is set to grow the workforce even further.
A spokesman confirmed that not only will it enable SAM to fulfil its delivery, stock hold, and stock range goals, but it also embeds the firm deeper into the local business community by ‘providing new opportunities for local people’.
SAM’s continued investment has meant the business has been able to focus on its business relationships with merchant customers to support their growth. Alongside continuing to provide quality products.
This further supports SAM’s mission to ensure customers have ‘the right product, in the right quantity, in the right place, and at the right time’. Around £2 million of the total investment is being pumped into ongoing annual costs. This is in order to ensure this remains a reality for customers.
Half of this segment of the investment was for a new, improved paint finish which launched to market in January. SAM is now investing and spending the second half, a further £1 million per year, into distribution. This is to ensure the delivery of the widest product offering in the marketplace within the fastest time-frame.
The wider £5 million of the total investment is into the new 45,000 square foot warehouse in Antrim.
Future Plans For Growth
SAM has been trading for more than 30 years, and it has long term plans to grow its business. This is both locally in Northern Ireland and across the wider UK merchant network.
SAM’s commitment to the local community is evident through its continued fundraising. In 2023, SAM is working closely with the local Marie Curie organisation, sponsoring sports teams and a school therapy pet.
The £7m Investment Proves an Exciting Time For SAM
Gerard Wilson, Sales Director at SAM, said it was an exciting time for the firm.
“We hope that the benefits of this significant investment will be felt by both our customers and the local community for many years to come,” he said.
“It’s great to see that the steps we’ve made for our industry have a local impact in the form of the construction of our new warehouse within Antrim too.
“We are committed to improving the impact we have. On a local level we will continue our sponsorships and charity donations, in 2023 and beyond.
“For our customers and merchants, they have had three really challenging years with industry price increases, supply issues and delayed work with the pandemic.
“During this time we’ve worked incredibly hard to scale up our level of marketing support and communications with suppliers to make their lives easier and be a trusted reliable partner to all our customers.
“People and relationships are at the heart of what SAM is about.
“Even when other suppliers were struggling, we ensured we had stock so that we remained consistent and reliable.
“Our investment has empowered us to achieve more in this area, and provide an even better supplier experience than before. The benefits of our investment are felt throughout our whole customer base already, and beginning to be realised within our local business community too.”
SAM were recently named ‘Overall Supplier of the Year’ at the annual JEWSON Awards.
