FIRMS in Northern Ireland have invested almost £2m to expand their offerings into Britain, southern Ireland and Europe.
Pronto Engineering, Sheaney, Versaffix, and Viltra have all committed to growing their exports and have created 24 new jobs in the process with the support of the Invest NI programme.
The companies, based in Newry and South Armagh, met with Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald this week.
The minister praised their efforts while visiting Versaffix, a manufacturer of tiltrotators for excavators, at their offices in Lislea, in Armagh.
Representatives of all four companies were present for the visit, where the Minister described small and medium sized companies (SMEs) as “the backbone of our economy”.
“Access to financial support for these types of businesses is crucial,” she said.
“I was encouraged to meet all four companies who have benefited from Invest NI’s support and hear how these investments have increased capacity, driven sales, and unlocked new export opportunities,” she added.
“Supporting rural SMEs is essential to creating inclusive and long-term economic resilience.
Pictured (l-r) are Martin McMenamin, Business Development Manager at Versaffix; Victoria Byrne, Head of Customer Service at Viltra; John McKibben of Invest NI; Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald, Steven Heaney, Managing Director at Sheaney and Rory McKeever, Managing Director at Pronto Engineering“It also aligns with my economic vision to recalibrate economic development across the North by creating good jobs and addressing historic regional imbalances.”
Invest NI has offered £191,700 of support towards the companies’ investment projects which will contribute to almost £2m of investment in the local economy over the next few years.
Versaffix is investing £701k in its business and has created eight new jobs with support from Invest NI.
“As an early-stage business, this investment will enable us to build our management team and increase production capacity, supporting us to commercialise our product and expand our global reach,” Martin McMenamin, Business Development Manager, at Versaffix, said.
“We’re also investing in market development activities to help us to grow sales in the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain, before launching our tiltrotator products in the European market,” he added.
“The advice and support from Invest NI has given us the confidence to take this exciting next step for our business.”
Viltra, a provider of wastewater treatment solutions in Newry, is investing £514k to strengthen its management team and production capacity.
The company will now recruit for six new roles, helping it to increase exports to the south of Ireland and France and allowing it to take on larger projects.
Pronto Engineering, based in Camlough, designs complex industrial automation solutions.
It is investing £462k to increase productivity, grow sales in target markets and create six jobs.
And Sheaney, a specialist in marine, civil engineering and infrastructure project management, which is also based in Newry, is investing £270k to increase its exports to southern Ireland and create four jobs.
“This investment will equip us to capitalise on opportunities in the Republic of Ireland, building on our existing contract in Dublin port,” Sheaney managing director Steven Heaney, said.
“We’re growing our geotechnical, sales and marketing expertise and building our capacity to support new and existing infrastructure projects,” he added.
The new roles created by the four companies include software engineers, technicians, business development managers, and a range of production, mechanical, electrical and managerial roles.
“We’ve worked closely with Pronto Engineering, Sheaney, Versaffix, and Viltra, supporting them to improve operational efficiencies, strengthen leadership, boost competitiveness and increase digitalisation,” John McKibben, Southern Regional Manager at Invest NI, said.
“They are now in the position to increase their workforces and excitingly, grow sales outside Northern Ireland.”
He added: “We are committed to supporting businesses in the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area and offered almost £8m of support to over 130 companies here in 2024-25.
“This will contribute to a total investment of £47m in the local economy and the creation of 289 new jobs, contributing towards the Minister’s drive for regional balance.”
See More: Business, Exports, Invest NI, Northern Ireland, SMEs
