Specdrum Ltd is a family-run manufacturing company based in Dungannon, County Tyrone. The company is one of the world's largest suppliers of conveyor pulleys, with facilities in Northern Ireland and China producing more than 50,000 pulleys annually. Its products are used by businesses across the global materials handling industry, from small operators to major international firms.
Like many manufacturers in Northern Ireland, Specdrum faces a dual challenge: reducing its carbon emissions while remaining competitive in a global market where customers are increasingly expecting sustainable supply chains. Energy costs are a significant overhead in pulley manufacturing, and the company recognised that improving energy efficiency was both an environmental and a commercial priority.
That recognition led Specdrum to engage with Industrial Decarbonisation – Northern Ireland (ID-NI), a pioneering initiative led by Invest NI and launched in January 2024. ID-NI brings together businesses, universities, industry associations and government to help companies across Northern Ireland reduce emissions while boosting productivity. The programme offers tailored support, expert guidance and practical tools - including a bespoke Productivity Emissions Tool that has now been adopted by more than 100 companies.
The Power of Collaboration
Specdrum is located within the Mid Ulster industrial cluster centred in Granville, Dungannon, which is one of nine clusters identified by ID-NI. This cluster brings together some of Northern Ireland's largest energy users, including companies such as Axon, Westland, McCloskey International and Dunbia. By working collaboratively on shared decarbonisation solutions, businesses in this cluster could achieve up to a nine-fold improvement in energy savings, for example, through shared Combined Heat and Power infrastructure.
Through the ID-NI programme, Specdrum's Senior Manager Roisin McCabe has gained insight into how the company can measure its carbon emissions and identify opportunities to reduce energy costs. The process has given the business a clearer picture of where its energy is being used and where meaningful savings can be made.
Specdrum's experience is being replicated across Northern Ireland's manufacturing sector. Businesses participating in ID-NI have collectively identified £28 million in potential energy savings. If the initiative's recommendations were adopted widely across the region's industrial base, Invest NI estimates that figure could grow to £448 million per year.
Supporting Northern Ireland's Climate Targets
Northern Ireland's emissions have fallen 26.4% since 1990, compared with 49.9% across the UK as a whole. However, the Climate Change Act (NI) 2022 sets a challenging target of a 48% reduction in net emissions by 2030. Achieving that will require the kind of practical, business-level action that ID-NI is designed to support and that companies like Specdrum are now beginning to implement.
For a company competing globally from a base in County Tyrone, the lesson is clear: decarbonisation is not just about meeting regulatory targets. It is about cutting costs, strengthening competitiveness, and future-proofing the business.
