Business

Belfast manufacturer Sensoteq secures £700k Canadian export deal

A BELFAST-based manufacturer has secured a £700,000 (Can$1.2m) contract with a Canadian company as it looks to expand business opportunities in the lucrative market.

Sensoteq Ltd, which designs and manufactures wireless machine health monitoring systems, has signed a deal with Canadian distributor, Eurotech. The two-year contract was secured following Sensoteq’s attendance at last year’s Waste and Recycling Expo in Niagara Falls, Ontario and is another example of firms in the north looking to Canada as a growing market, particularly for machinery, transport and equipment exports.

Sensoteq CEO, Idir Boudaoud said the company, based in Ormeau Business Park and with ambitions to be world leaders in industrial wireless sensing for condition monitoring, sees "huge" business opportunities in Canada.

"We have visited the market multiple times to build on the initial contacts made at last year’s Waste and Recycling Expo and we continue to strengthen our business relationships."

“Our contract with distributor Eurotech is of huge importance to the future growth of the business and we are very optimistic about our growth in this market," he said.

Invest NI, who opened a Toronto office last year, is currently hosting a trade mission of eight local businesses in Canada and CEO, Alastair Hamilton believes a strong focus on the Canadian market could prove lucrative for Northern Ireland.

“Canada is a key target market for ambitious Northern Ireland companies. The latest HMRC figures show that exports to Canada over the last four years have grown 33 per cent and are currently valued at £471m, demonstrating the valuable business opportunities which exist here," Mr Hamilton said.

“Companies like Sensoteq demonstrate the great export opportunities Canada offers to our local companies. Focus on the Canadian market is paying dividends for Northern Ireland companies and we look forward to more success in this market.”