Waterside firm wins export contract

Maydown based Steam and Generation Services (SGS) has won a significant contract to provide coded welding and other mechanical and engineering services at the Tynagh Energy power services in Galway.

Remarkably the contract was secured within a year of the formation of SGS in Februray 2010-a 260,000 investment with a 35,000 grant from Invest NI. Invest NI also helped the company to develop its management systems.

The announcement that the contract had been won was made in Londonderry yesterday by SGS Sales and Marketing Director Sean hegarty and welcomed by Invest NI's North West Regional Office Manager Des Gartland. The firm currently employs eight people.

Sean Hegarty said: "Winning this first business in the republic is immensely encouraging since SGS was established to develop opportunities throughout the island of Ireland in line with the development of an all-island power generation market.

"The support we have received from Invest NI towards starting and developing the business has been terrific. It has enabled us to achieve our key objective of winning significant business in the Republic, a market that we expect to provide around a third of our business this year.

Mr Gartland, commenting on the company's achievements, said: "SGS is demonstrating a strong commitment to business outside Northern Ireland and an impressive entrepreneurial drive. The team has an impressive track record and a wealth of experience in this important and highly competitive industry."Our support was shaped to encourage and assist the business to move into exporting as quickly as practical because we recognised the potential of the energy market in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and also because of the quality of the employment opportunities that the business would be likely to provide."