DUBLIN: A group of Northern Ireland firms which make everything from airplane parts to packets of peanuts have just arrived in Canada to sell their wares to the giant north American economy.
They’re part of a nine-company-strong team travelling around the country in an effort to boost exports to the region, one which already has a long trading history with Northern Ireland.
Bangor’s Denroy Plastics, which supplies plastic parts to the aerospace and other industries, Kestral Foods from Craigavon which makes dried fruit and nut packages from its Craigavon base and Belfast-based Kainos Evolve, which provides IT solutions to the healthcare sector, are just some of thecompanies on the trip.
They’re hoping to grow total annual exports from Northern Ireland to Canada which last year totalled £360m, although not all the firms on the trip have started selling to the region.
The Invest NI-organised trade mission is being led by the agency’s boss Alastair Hamilton and the recently Jonathan Bell, the Enterprise minister who has only recently returned to his post.
While there, they’ll also meet with some of the Canadian companies which have invested in Northern Ireland such as Bombardier, McCloskey Engineering, Dalradian Resources and MagellanAerospace to make sure they’re happy with their investments and to try and persuade increase their footprint here.
“The senior management team at Bombardier is rightly very proud of the C Series and I felt extremely proud to see wings that have been built in Belfast being attached to this game changing aircraft,” the minister said.
“While I recognise that Bombardier faces challenges, the management team is confident these can be overcome and that more sales will follow. The relationship between Northern Ireland and
Bombardier is a long-standing, successful one; and it is a relationship that will continue to bear fruitin the future.”
However, it’s the export market which the local companies on the trip are after.
The key sectors for exports are in transport and material handling,” Jonathan Bell said. “However, there are opportunities to develop exports in new sectors and that is one of the reasons for the trade mission this week.”
