Trailblazing export success for Toomebridge company

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster today congratulated McCauley Trailers for securing major export orders in Europe, Australia and Africa.

 

Based in Toomebridge, McCauley Trailers produces trailers for use in a range of sectors including construction, forestry and farming.

Commending the firm on its success, the Minister said: "McCauley Trailers made valuable contacts with existing and potential customers on the Invest NI trade mission I led to the Netherlands in February. That trade mission has reaped significant rewards for the business and resulted in a 50% increase in Dutch orders this year.

 

"McCauley Trailers has established new distributors in other European countries and recently received high-value orders from France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Outside Europe, a number of agricultural dump trailers have been sold to Australia and a six-figure order has been received from Ghana in West Africa.

"By constantly focusing on generating new business in external markets, firms such as McCauley Trailers are bringing success to Northern Ireland and adding significant value to our economy.”

Arlene Foster continued: "McCauley Trailers is benefiting from increased efficiency, developed with the help of an Invest NI programme aimed at improving business capability. A much leaner operation is enabling the company to maximise the quality of its finished products and boost its sales potential.”

 

Jonathan Hanna, Operations Manager at McCauley Trailers, said: "We have been supported by Invest NI to develop new products and implement our export marketing strategy. One of our key objectives is to extend our network of distributors and this approach is beginning to pay dividends for us in developing new markets. Scandinavian sales have been particularly high and our sales to France are also growing considerably, with sales there expected to reach £1.5million this year. We have now sold trailers to no less than 16 countries.

 

"In addition to our extensive sales and marketing drive, we have received help from Invest NI to refine our production systems by implementing just-in-time manufacturing techniques. This has reduced the build up of unfinished stocks on the shop floor and improved processes throughout the factory. We have also been supported to introduce new employee development procedures, and a staff training programme is currently under way to raise the skills levels of our workforce. "Our business monitoring and reporting systems have also been improved, helping senior management to better evaluate activities and ensure that we continue to perform appropriately and meet our commercial objectives,” added Mr Hanna.