Aluminium Manufacturer Boosts Irish Sales

 Co Antrim-based firm that provides aluminium window, door and curtain walling solutions for fabricators, developers and architects, Metal Technology, has secured sales of ?2m in the Republic of Ireland.

Supported by Invest Northern Ireland, this success - that also includes extra sales in Great Britain - follows Metal Technology's investments in research and development and export growth.

Invest NI offered the company support of over ?140,000, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) towards these investments.

Metal Technology has designed an innovative new window and door system which exceeds Government requirements on the thermal performance of buildings, and has given the company a distinct competitive advantage.

In addition to this R&D activity, the firm has employed a new sales manager and a new business development manager to launch the system in market and drive export sales. The new system has enabled Metal Technology to gain access to major fabricators and main contractors outside Northern Ireland, significantly expanding its current customer base for both new and existing products.

Kevin McCann, Invest NI's Director of Transport, Construction and Tourism, commented: "Metal Technology's innovative and technically challenging project has been vital to business growth during difficult conditions in the construction industry.

"As markets begin to recover, Metal Technology will be in a strong position to capitalise on future opportunities in an emerging niche in the construction sector."

Calvin Wilson, Managing Director of Metal Technology, said: "This investment has given us the opportunity to launch our high performance window and door systems to market in a reduced timeframe. We will continue to develop our range of energy efficient products and build on our supply chain partnerships.

"The sales achieved to date are encouraging and will help us to grow our customer base in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland and secure a sustainable future for the business in what are challenging times for the construction industry."(WWW.4NI.COM)