SRS Finlay secured the business, its first in Libya and expected to be worth around £200,000, from its participation on Invest Northern Ireland trade missions to India.

The India hosted missions led SRS Finlay to link up with a marketing operation in New Delhi which then introduced the Northern Ireland company to a major Indian construction company involved in the Libyan government-backed building project in Tripoli.

Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Trade Director, welcoming the company’s latest success in international markets, said:

“This is an important breakthrough for SRS Finlay in a substantial marketplace in North Africa, one with significant oil revenues and which is currently investing extensively in infrastructure projects such as social housing.

“The contract is also an excellent example of how our companies can ‘piggyback’ on India’s emergence as a global economy driven increasingly by companies focused on international business.

“A key element of our trade development strategy in India has been to assist our companies to develop business relationships with major corporations there which are engaged in international trade.

“We developed this approach because some of the world’s most successful companies are now headquartered in India and are well positioned in key markets such as the US, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It makes good business sense for our companies to seek to become part of the supply chain of much larger enterprises in India,” added Dr Kell.

Julian FeganSRS Finlay Sales and Business Development Director, said: “Invest NI missions to India and other global markets have enabled us to expand our business through the many important contacts we’ve been able to make.

“It was following one of the Indian missions that I decided to tie up with an experienced operation there that would give us an ongoing presence in this huge marketplace.

“They introduced us to the construction company with the Libyan contract and this led to the deal to supply our block making machinery, a relationship which could lead to further business in Libya and other international markets.

“India, of course, is a massive marketplace in its own right but linking up with Indian construction and machinery companies expands the opportunities for our equipment,” Mr Fegan added.

This new site will promote our brand to a worldwide audience and is in keeping with the high standards of our product and professional ethos.

New business worth almost £4 million was won by local companies from Invest Northern Ireland’s strategic sales focus on Saudi Arabia in 2008/09.

The success of Northern Ireland companies in one of the world’s most dynamic and demanding markets was announced by Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Trade Director, at the start of another major mission to the Saudi business centres of Jeddah and Al Khobar, from 18-26 March.

Twenty nine companies and organisations, including Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster, are taking part in the latest mission, part of an ongoing series of trade activities in the Arabian Gulf region. Tourism Ireland will also be using the mission to explore opportunities to attract tourists from the kingdom.

Northern Ireland exports to the Middle East, especially the Gulf region including Saudi Arabia, were around £300 million in 2008/09. Goods and services sold there ranged from machinery, food and building products to professional services.  The interest which companies in tradable services are now showing in Saudi and other parts of the Gulf is both significant and immensely encouraging.

“Our focus on developing strong relationships with major contractors such as the Saudi bin Laden Group and Emaar, two of the biggest construction businesses in the Middle East, have proved exceptionally successful and many Northern Ireland companies are now doing business with them, are quoting for contracts or are talking to contacts about opportunities for joint ventures.

The minister toured the facility and congratulated management on their recent success in securing a deal to supply machinery to a customer in Qatar. The contract was secured following the SRS Finlay’s participation in an Invest Northern Ireland trade mission to the Arabian Gulf region.

The company is providing its ‘egglayer type’ concrete block making machine to a Qatari business in the country’s booming construction industry in a contract worth around £100,000.

The contract, SRS Finlay’s first in Qatar, is the result of an extensive marketing drive by the Tyrone company in the Gulf, a campaign which has included participation in several Invest NI trade missions to markets such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar over the past year.

Julian Fegan, SRS Finlay’s Director of Sales and Business Development, commenting on the contract in Doha, the Qatari capital, said: “Winning the business gives us an important springboard in a market that is continuing to grow strongly because of ongoing investment by the Government in major infrastructure projects.

“The mission gave me an opportunity to complete the deal and to explore other opportunities with this customer, as well as meeting potential clients in Qatar, Oman and Dubai. While opportunities in Dubai have fallen back, the other neighbouring markets are still investing in new construction projects that provide significant scope for our machinery. Qatar, of course, benefits from its very substantial natural gas resources.

“I have been encouraged by the feedback from the markets I have visited. Interest in our machinery is developing strongly among contractors because of a growing appreciation of the quality, cost-effectiveness and flexibility that the equipment offers. We want to build on our reputation as the market leader in the United Kingdom and Ireland to expand export sales,” he added.

Welcoming SRS Finlay’s latest success in the Gulf, Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Trade Director, said: “This is an immensely encouraging contract for this export-focused company in a marketplace which is continuing to grow strongly. Qatar is a developing market that Invest NI identified several years ago as offering significant growth potential for companies across a range of sectors including construction equipment.

“SRS Finlay has supported our initiatives there that have focused on strategically important markets such as Saudi Arabia and now has a strong distribution network.”