Invest Northern Ireland organised 28-strong business delegation to India on trade mission

Mumbai, 02 March 2010 – Senior managers of 28 companies and representatives from the Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster are taking part in an Invest Northern Ireland organised trade mission to India.

The delegation, among the biggest-ever from Northern Ireland to India, will visiting Delhi and Mumbai from 27 February to 6 March.

The mission is being supported by staff at Invest Northern Ireland’s office in Mumbai. In addition to exploring business in Delhi and Mumbai, companies will be travelling to other commercial centres such as Bangalore and Chennai.

While 11 of the companies are visiting India for the first time on an Invest NI trade mission, the delegation includes several firms with significant business in this dynamic marketplace. The established exporters include Delta Print and Packaging, a west Belfast manufacturer of folded cartons which has a successful joint venture in India, Denman International, a Bangor specialist in haircare products, PWS Ireland of Newry with a joint venture in Nagpur and has supplied road signs to India’s National Highways Authority, Randox Laboratories of Crumlin, a manufacturer of diagnostic kits, and SRS of Ballygawley, a supplier of blockmaking machinery.

Telestack International in Omagh has also provided machinery to India’s extensive iron ore mining industry and Schrader Electronics, Antrim is providing its remote tyre pressure monitoring system to an Indian automotive corporation.

Queen’s University and the University of Ulster both have established relationships with similar institutions in India including the Bengal Engineering and Science University in Calcutta, the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi and the University of Madras in Chennai. The universities will be seeking to extend agreements they already have in areas such as technology transfer and student/staff exchanges.

Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Trade Director, commenting on the mission: “The size of this mission shows that India is continuing to attract the interest of companies across a broad range of business sectors here. What is particularly encouraging about this mission is the support it has attracted from companies offering professional services in building, project management and the law.

“There’s a very strong representation from architectural practices seeking to benefit from the extensive infrastructural investment now underway throughout Indian. I am confident that they have the expertise to win business in India, but they need to be patient and to invest time and resources on building a presence there.

“Several local companies offering screening and recycling machinery are already established in the market and their success has encouraged others to explore opportunities there.

“All the participating companies have been able to take advantage of the advice and strongly practical support provided by our staff in Mumbai and their team of business advisers.”

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Notes to Editors

Among the companies taking part in their first Invest NI trade mission to India are:

• Architectural practices Donnelly O’Neill, Belfast; McAdam Designs, and Todd Architects, also Belfast;
• Engineering companies: Engineering Plastics, Cookstown; McCrory Engineering, Cookstown; McQuaid Engineering, Dungannon;
• Other sectors: Lightstep Technologies, Dunmurry; Biocolor, Carrickfergus, Tailored Image, Dungannon, Foyle Language School, Londonderry and Vivomed, Downpatrick

NORTHERN IRELAND TRADE MISSION TO INDIA FROM 27 FEBRUARY TO 6 MARCH 2010

• Andor Technology, Belfast – scientific cameras
• Biocolor, Carrickfergus – diagnostic chemicals
• Caldwell and Robinson Solicitors, Londonderry – legal services
• Delta Print and Packaging, Belfast – folded cartons
• Denman International, Bangor – haircare products
• Donnelly O’Neill Architects, Belfast – sustainable architectural practice
• Engineering Plastics, Cookstown – plastic components
• Facilities and Energy Management, Belfast – energy efficiency
• Foyle Language Services, Londonderry – English language training
• Greenfields Ireland, Belfast – Dairy product marketing
• Hackett Hall McKnight Architects, Belfast – architectural practice
• KMC Engineering (NI), Dungannon – materials handling machinery
• Lightstep Technologies, Dunmurry – safety lighting
• McAdam Design, Belfast – design consultancy
• McCrory Engineering, Aughnacloy – concrete batching plant
• McQuaid Engineering, Cookstown – mining equipment
• Mott MacDonald, Belfast – project design and management
• PWS Ireland, Newry – road directional signs
• Queen’s University Belfast – technology transfer and student/staff exchanges
• Randox Laboratories, Crumlin – clinical diagnostic solutions
• Schrader Electronics, Antrim – tyre pressure sensors
• SRS, Ballygawley – concrete block machinery
• Tailored Image, Moygashel – Corporate wear solutions
• Telestack Limited, Omagh – Mobile conveyors and stackers
• Todd Architects, Belfast – architects
• University of Ulster – technology transfer and staff/student exchanges
• Vivomed, Downpatrick –physiotherapy, sports, medicine supplies
• Yardmaster International, Draperstown – metal sheds

About Invest Northern Ireland

Invest Northern Ireland is the business development agency for this region of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for securing new investment from overseas in the internationally traded services and niche manufacturing sectors. Focusing in particular on the financial services and ICT sectors, Invest NI works in partnership with public and private sector organisations to establish Northern Ireland as a high performance, high skilled and high value location for international business. Invest NI also works with Northern Ireland companies to promote international trade, increase competitiveness, entrepreneurship and harness innovation, helping to facilitate the creation of more and better quality business start-ups. Invest NI is headquartered in Belfast and delivers its services through a network of local and international offices including one in Mumbai, established in September 2007. Northern Ireland has secured investments from four major Indian IT & BPO companies, which between them have invested nearly USD 160 million and employ nearly 3,000 people:

• HCL Technologies Ltd
• Polaris Software Labs
• Firstsource Solutions
• Tech Mahindra

For more information please contact:

LEWIS Public Relations

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Dipa Joisher
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