Texam in Lisburn, a specialist in the design, manufacture and installation of conveyor systems, has been assisted by Enterprise Europe Network at Invest Northern Ireland (EEN) to develop a business partnership in Germany.
The Northern Ireland company used EEN as part of a drive to expand its product portfolio and grow sales. EEN helped Texam to identify a business opportunity through the EEN website which has an online database of companies seeking partners throughout Europe.
Louise Wallace, EEN advisor, explaining how the EEN helps local companies to explore business in Europe, said:
“EEN is unique pan-European information service that offers companies an opportunity to post a profile of their business, their products and services. Companies interested in doing business with them can then seek assistance from us to broker contact with a potential partner.
“Texam, for example, pinpointed a potential business partner, MSF Vathauer at Detmold, near Leipzig, and approached us to help make contact. Our staff then contacted the relevant EEN centre in Germany and helped to arrange direct contact between the two potential partners.
“EEN is a very useful platform for Northern Ireland companies either to access a potential partner to help grow exports in their market or to expand business in Northern Ireland by embracing complementary products and services from another European company. It’s also a free service to companies interested in developing European business relationships”.
John McGuigan, Texam Managing Director, commenting on the company’s new business tie-up in Europe, said:
“I came across MSF Vathauer during a trawl of the EEN database seeking business opportunities including complementary products that we could distribute throughout the UK as part of our growth strategy. I found a small profile of MSF in the business partnership database and contacted EEN for further information about the company and how best to pursue this interest.
“The EEN team at Invest NI was extremely helpful and arranged for more detailed information on MSF to be emailed to me by the EEN team in Germany. I subsequently contacted MSF to explore business opportunities. Within a month of my initial interest I signed an agreement to become MSF’s official distributor in the UK.
“What attracted me to MSF was their experience in the manufacture of mechanical and electrical motors, which made them an ideal fit for us as a manufacturer of sophisticated conveying systems for handling a broad range of materials. EEN certainly worked well and quickly for us, enabling us to introduce new products to our markets fast.”
Texam is a UK leader in the design, manufacture, management and installation of conveyor projects usually in excess of £1million. The company’s customers include all of Northern Ireland's leading manufacturing companies as well as airports, ferry terminals and warehouse/distribution companies. It currently exports to the US, Africa, and most recently, Saudi Arabia.
