Business

Northern firms in first 'Down Under' mission in a decade

Fifteen firms from Northern Ireland are in Sydney and Melbourne this week
Fifteen firms from Northern Ireland are in Sydney and Melbourne this week Fifteen firms from Northern Ireland are in Sydney and Melbourne this week

MORE than a dozen firms from Northern Ireland are wooing their antipodean cousins this week on Invest NI's first organised trade mission to Australia in more than a decade.

The five-day trip down under - focusing primarily on the cities of Sydney and Melbourne - involves companies from a number of different sectors including ICT, engineering, energy and security.

And each is vying to tap into opportunities in the fifth wealthiest nation on the planet, which has enjoyed 22 years of uninterrupted economic growth.

Australia has been ranked by the World Bank as the 10th easiest country in the world in which to do business, and despite being the best part of a day away, more than 1,000 UK businesses already operate there, including BP, Virgin, British Airways and BT.

Invest NI chairman Mark Ennis, who is leading the mission, said: “Australia's good economy performance over the past 20 years is supported by strong growth in commodities in this resource rich country. Recently growth rates have fallen to those similar to Northern Ireland as the economy adjusts to falling demand from China.

“It still offers good trade opportunities which are often discounted by exporters due to its long distance from Europe and America. But this is compensated by Australia having a common language and more importantly very similar business values and rules to the business environment in Northern Ireland which does offer competitive advantage."

He added: “There are numerous flourishing sectors in Australia including foodstuffs, wine-making, retail, consumer goods, telecoms, ICT, infrastructure, renewable energy and life sciences, which offer opportunities for Northern Ireland companies to export products and services.”

Companies participating,which include a number of established firms and others still in the fledgling stage, are BRS Golf, CADshare Technology, CK International, Core Systems, Ecohog, EDGE Innovate, Edina Power, Environmental Products & Services, Genalice UK, Ineqe Group, Kilwaughter Chemical Co, Mallaghan Engineering, Marketstall Solutions & Software, Sensurity and Telestack.