Some €8m in new business contracts and five new Irish-Canadian partnerships have been formed during Ireland’s trade mission to Canada this past week.
Ireland’s Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD, returned to Ireland this weekend, after having led the three-day trade mission in Toronto, Ontario.
Enterprise Ireland officials, as well as 30 Irish companies seeking to grow their exports to Canada, accompanied Bruton on the trip, which resulted in the following contracts and partnerships:
- Lincor Solutions, a life-sciences company based in Cork, announced more than Cdn$4m (€3.1m) in new business with hospitals in the provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland.
- Leading Edge Group in Cork, a business process and consultancy company, announced several contracts worth more than Cdn$350,000 (€275,000) with new clients, including the Ministry of Health in Alberta and Toyota dealerships in Quebec and Ontario.
- FINEOS Corporation, based in Dublin, a provider of claims management software, announced a contract with the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, to manage claims and payments from its employee benefits plan
- Dundalk-based Multihog Ltd announced a deal with Vancouver Airport to supply three Multihog base vehicles and a range of attachments. The machines supplied for Vancouver will primarily be used for snow clearance and de-icing around parked aircrafts.
- Waterford company ZolkC announced it is providing its interpretive audio tours for more than 20,000 Canadian users at two of the top Canadian tourist sites. The CN Tower in Toronto turned green during the Bruton’s visit to mark the announcement.
Exports to Canada by Enterprise Ireland clients rose by 19pc to €224m in 2011, and it is hoped exports for 2012 will rise a further 20pc.
“Central to the Government’s plan for jobs and growth is creating a powerful engine of indigenous enterprise,” Bruton said.
“Indigenous exporting companies currently directly and indirectly employ over 300,000 jobs in Ireland. If we are to create the jobs and growth we need we must build on this to improve the performance of our domestic industries, and through the Action Plan for Jobs we are providing a range of improved supports to help achieve this.”
Frank Ryan, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said the trade mission’s objective was to develop partnerships and grow sales for Irish companies in Canada.
“All events on the trade mission were aimed at opening doors for Irish companies and paving the way for more Irish exports into Canada. The impact of export success in markets such as Canada on the Irish economy is significant,” said Ryan.
“The performance of Irish exporters in Canada is to be commended. Enterprise Ireland will continue to provide every support to Irish companies to secure more business in Canada and North America, boosting the economy and sustaining and creating much-needed jobs.”
Canadian flag image via Shutterstock
