STIMULATING AND SUPPORTING NEW BUSINESS IN IRELAND

DONEGAL COMPANIES DO WELL AT BUILDING BUSINESS AT PLAN EXPO with BUILD UP NETWORK

By James Donlon, December 1, 2005

Nine companies from Donegal attended Plan Expo in November 2005, the main exhibition for the Construction Industry, where the Build Up stand generated quite a bit of interest.

BUILD UP is a cross border network of innovative and quality businesses, which provide products and services to the construction industry. It includes 20 companies, 10 are based in Donegal and 10 in Tyrone and Derry. It is a cross border initiative created and organised by WESTBIC who support the development of innovative business in the Border, Midland and Western Regions.

Said Eunan Cunningham, Regional Manager, WESTBIC managers of the programme said ‘Bringing together a group of quality building suppliers from both sides of the border on the BUILD UP stand has been a terrific success. There was a lot of interest and the companies have already converted some of the leads into business. Many of these companies would not have been able to attend Plan Expo as individuals but could do so as part of the group. In addition we have found the stand attracted many more visitors due to the uniqueness and quality of the products, included in the BUILD UP network.”

A NETWORK FOR ANYONE IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY TO TAP INTO
A number of Build UP companies supply innovative products ranging from water proofing material for shower trays, Bangor Blue roofing slates, cabling systems for entertainment, marquetary for wooden floors to concrete waterproofing products, copper cylinders, grease traps and geothermal heating systems. In addition there are also a number of quality traditional suppliers such as PVC windows, concrete, copper cylinders, cavity trays, architects and netting suppliers.

Companies exhibiting were ; Urlar (wooden flooring and marquetry), Netting Direct, Ballymoon Slate, Sheridan Security, Morgan Quinn (architects), ICCT TEO (concrete Treatment/waterproofing), Nutherm (geothermal heating), Envirogrind (commercial recycling/organic compost), Village Windows, McCann Concrete, Classic Marble (Showers), Wedgies (packer product), Lisnastrain Cavity trays, Norscaff (scaffolding), Copper Industries, Riseni Systems Ireland, Meritcom (cabling systems), Cater Waste products (grease traps and installation), Composite Design (concrete flooring).

This project is promoted by WESTBIC, the Business and Innovation Centre for the Border, Midlands & Western Region and NORIBIC Northern Ireland Business Innovation Centre supported by the EU INTERREG IIIA Programme for Ireland/Northern Ireland. The original Cluster programme is funded by Peace 2 administered by Cooperation Ireland.

If your business would like to find out more about the services and products available, visit www.buildup.ie or contact Josephine McCafferty, WESTBIC on 00353 (0) 749186774.

Barry McCaul (Riseni Systems Ireland), David Young (Ballymoon Slate), Eunan Cunningham (WESTBIC) and Seamus Gillespie (Netting Direct) at Plan Expo in RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin in November 2005.