St. John’s Primary School, located in Kingsisland, Dungannon, has enjoyed an electrifying educational experience with local airport ground support equipment manufacturer, Mallaghan.

As part of its studies on electricity, Mallaghan treated the P5 class to a factory visit complete with a full tour, product demos, goody bags, and Valentine’s themed cupcakes.

To spark the children’s interest in electricity, the focus was of the day was on Mallaghan’s extensive electric-powered range, including the newly unveiled SkyBelt – an innovative belt loader with features and accessories that make it the most technically advanced belt loader on the market.

Speaking of the visit, Mr W Lyons, P5 Teacher at St. John’s Primary School, said:

“Located only fifteen minutes from our school, Mallaghan is a household name amongst many of our kids and we’re proud of our close connection with such a leading Northern Irish company.

“We all found the tour extremely insightful, and it was wonderful for the children to gain a deeper understanding of how electricity can be used to develop sustainable solutions for a variety of industries.

“Our thanks to Mallaghan for treating our class to such an educational yet enjoyable afternoon!”

Significant investments towards continuous Research & Development have allowed Mallaghan to design and manufacture several electric powered products including Passenger Stairs, Catering and Cleaning Trucks, and Belt Loaders, and the company has ambitious plans to develop a fully electric portfolio by 2025.

In addition to gaining further knowledge on electricity, Mallaghan explored some of the endless opportunities that can result from a career in manufacturing and engineering.

Larissa Campbell, Production Co-ordinator at Mallaghan, added:

“At Mallaghan, we are committed to playing our part in the education of young people and having a positive impact on our community, and so it was fantastic to welcome St. John Primary School’s P5 class to our factory.

“We want to inspire the next generation of manufacturing and engineering leaders and hope that events such as this showcase the vast array of career possibilities in the manufacturing and engineering sector.”

As a result of the visit, Mallaghan will now work closely with St. John’s Primary School and Mid Ulster MEGA (Manufacturing and Engineering Growth and Advancement) to develop a six week electric project for the class.

Mallaghan products are sold in more than 100 countries across the world with clients including Aer Lingus, British Airways, China Eastern Airlines, easyJet, Emirates, Etihad, Menzies Aviation, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Ryanair, SAS and Swissport.