News

Around 156 companies in the North West are working with InterTradeIreland to develop their cross-border markets and already 23 of them have notched up nearly £14m in sales and efficiency savings.

That was the message from the cross-border trade and business development body today to representatives of the business, political and academic world in Londonderry.

Derry’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Drew Thompson, welcomed InterTradeIreland’s new chairman, Dr David Dobbin CBE and Chief Executive, Liam Nellis, and their new board to the networking event at the North West Regional College on the Strand Road.

Dr Dobbin said: “InterTradeIreland is working directly with 156 companies in the North West to help grow their business through increased trade or through cross-border collaboration on product and process innovation. Indeed, the 20 local companies participating on our Acumen programme have reported a combined gain of £2m in cross-border sales and 3 companies on our Fusion programme have reported over £11m from new products and processes.

“InterTradeIreland also funds Build UP, a construction industry network of small companies from Derry, Donegal, Fermanagh and Sligo which has generated additional sales of around £700,000. In addition, we have supported the North West Science and Technology Partnership, the North West Supplier Model, and an entrepreneurship conference organised by Londonderry Chamber of Commerce.

“Helping local companies to identify new business opportunities and to become more competitive is key to the success of the North West economy.”

Dr Dobbin added: “InterTradeIreland is also identifying areas in which the two governments can act to improve the business environment to the benefit of all firms located here. For example, The Freight Transport Report for the Island of Ireland, which we are launching today, makes 21 recommendations, including speeding up the full dualling of the A5 and A6.

“We will be working with the Department of Regional Development Northern Ireland and the Department of Transport Ireland in advance of the North South Ministerial Council Transport meeting in May to get these recommendations adopted.”

The latest statistics reveal that between 2003 and 2006, total trade between Northern Ireland and Ireland went up from £1.69bn to £1.99bn - a 17.8% increase.

To date, more than 1,200 companies have participated directly in InterTradeIreland initiatives, generating an estimated £400m in direct trade and business development value.

For more information, contact Dara Cosgrove at InterTradeIreland, tel 30834114, or Janet Devlin at DCP PR, tel 078 281 86745.

Two local company case studies are also attached for information.


CASE STUDY

Company: Hunter Apparel Solutions Ltd/Itronik Ltd

Business: RFID Electronics and Anti-Microbial Medical Uniforms

Location: Springtown Industrial Estate, Derry

InterTradeIreland Support: Innova R & D Programme

The bill for fighting hospital acquired infections like MRSA and C Difficile could fall dramatically following the intervention of two cross border companies brought together by InterTradeIreland’s Innova programme.

Hunter Apparel Solutions Ltd, based in the Springtown Industrial Estate, Londonderry and Itronik Ltd based in Letterkenny are developing an innovative product which will not only monitor hand hygiene activity in hospitals and healthcare institutions, but will also combat MRSA and C Difficile.

According to Simon Hunter, Sales Director with Hunter Apparel, the project would not have been possible without InterTradeIreland’s INNOVA programme.

He says: “We are two relatively small companies. Research projects tend to be long and very costly and if we had tried to fund it from our mainstream activities, it would never have gotten off the ground. InterTradeIreland has facilitated the project with a package which made the costly developmental process possible. We could not have tackled such a challenging project without their specific support.”

James Bonner, whose Letterkenny based electronics company, established in 2004, currently employs five people, says: “Our joint venture, ‘Intellitex Solutions’ with our Innova partner, Hunter Apparel Ltd, is to develop a smart uniform with an electronic tag embedded in the uniform itself, which are activated electronically if staff don’t use a hand hygiene unit. The tags flash red if staff don’t use the hand hygiene units. Once staff clean their hands, the tag flashes green.”

Bonner points out that although both companies have been so far been concentrating on the staff application, the tags can also be used to monitor visitors to intensive care or isolation wards.

“The product has widespread potential - hopefully it will end up being a worldwide product.”

Hunter Apparel’s Managing Director, Gerry Mullen points out that the design of the uniforms is crucial to the success of the product.

“One of the challenges, apart from the technical aspects, is the aesthetic design – doctors in particular dislike wearing a uniform. But if people are serious about challenging MRSA, the entire healthcare regime will have to be changed.”

“All the evidence to date is that hand hygiene is the single biggest contributor to the reduction of these infections. The combination of hand hygiene and the anti-microbial fabric gives our product its uniquely innovative edge.

“The Innova funding helped us to put the trial in place to produce the clinical evidence. While everyone accepts that this is a genuinely innovative approach to solving the problem, in the absence of clinical evidence then it won’t happen. Equally, hospitals won’t get involved in trials at their own cost, so we have to absorb the cost of doing the trials so there is zero cash flow impact on the hospitals.“

Sales Director, Simon Hunter says that the family owned company which was, established in 1936 and employs over 95 staff, has also been doing well in other parts of the business.

“Expanding our business over the border was a very natural progression
for our business. In the last eight years it has grown from nothing to becoming our second-largest market.

“We have won several high profile contracts over the last number of months,
including the new ambulance service uniform in the Republic of Ireland, the new Body Shop international uniform and the North West Regional Fire Consortium uniform contract for five English fire brigades.”

The company says it would recommend other companies to take advantage of any help on offer.

“InterTradeIreland has packages which can help companies take on projects they might otherwise shy away from,” says Simon. “The key factor for us was that the project we engaged in has potentially substantial business benefits but the costs associated with development would have been too prohibitive for us to absorb on our own.”

The Innova programme is an initiative aimed at stimulating, promoting and supporting R&D cooperation between firms (North and South). The current pilot programme is helping eight company partnerships create products, processes or services projected to yield multi-million pound results.

Eligible projects can fall into two categories: industrial research and pre-development activities. Industrial research involves acquiring new knowledge that may be useful in developing new products, processes or services. Pre-development activities involve using industrial research to
plan new or improved products, processes or services.

Contact: Janet Toal
T: 028 3083 4129 (048 from Ireland)
E: janet.toal@intertradeireland.com


CASE STUDY

Company: Foyle Technologies

Business: Software

Location: Rosemount Complex Derry

InterTradeIreland Support: Acumen Sales Programme and Fusion Technology Transfer Programme

A software firm founded in Derry by Terry Kavanagh has carved a lucrative niche in the areas of work process management and data quality. Its strategy of going to market as a sub-contractor with system integrators such as Fujitsu and HP has allowed Foyle Technologies to win business on both sides of the border.

Kavanagh attributes much of his software company’s recent success to InterTradeIreland. As a firm employing five staff, battling against the big boys of the IT world is no easy task but as Terry says, the networking opportunities afforded by InterTradeIreland opened doors for his company. During two years working with InterTradeIreland, Foyle Technologies has picked up lucrative contacts with BT and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Foyle Technologies, which has been trading for four years, specialises in ‘cleansing’ the databases of large firms and organisations. The Rosemount-based company’s software can also be integrated into IT infrastructures.

“InterTradeIreland definitely opened doors for us,” said Terry. “We were able to get in touch with customers that we would not have otherwise been able to reach.“There is only one other company in Northern Ireland offering a similar service to what we are doing. However, worldwide there are a number of big companies offering our service but they are incredibly expensive. We can offer the same for a lot less. That is our selling point. InterTradeIreland understood that and put us in touch with a number of big name companies.”

However, networking is only one of the benefits that Terry says InterTradeIreland has brought his company. The Derry businessman says the introduction of a graduate into his small firm proved particularly valuable.

“When we started out with the FUSION programme, InterTradeIreland gave us a graduate,” he said. “I am pleased to say that it has worked out very well and that the graduate brought in will be staying on to help the company grow.”

On a practical level, Terry says InterTradeIreland also helped sharpen his
company’s competitive edge. “When we started with InterTradeIreland they identified what needed improved in our business and we were given help with our sales presentations.

“We were also given grants to expand into the South and support in linking up with Dundalk College. By taking part in FUSION we were given access to expertise that we wouldn’t normally have been able to access.”

Foyle Technologies emerged from the ashes of The Data Warehouse Practice
(TDWP) in October 2003 to capitalise on the potential of two software products - Matchsoft and Commix Framework – which it acquired when the previous owner ceased trading.

FUSION develops and facilitates three-way partnerships and projects between:

• Companies – private sector businesses with technology-based development needs
• Third level institutes – universities, colleges, institutes of technology or research centres
• Graduates – high calibre degree-diploma holders

It enables companies to find solutions to technology-based needs, leading to increased business performance and competitiveness. It enhances the business relevance of the research and teaching of third level institutes and it offers graduates industry-based training and fast-track career advancement to senior management.

Contact: Paddy Savage
T: 028 3083 4110(048 from Ireland)
E: paddy.savage@intertradeireland.com