Contracts worth a total of $14million and the creation of 50 jobs in Ireland were among the results of the two-day Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Texas.
The successful announcement came at the end of the two-day programme to Houston and Austin, during which Minister Bruton along with Enterprise Ireland and 27 Irish companies targeted opportunities in the rapidly-growing oil and gas sector.
Among the deals announced over the course of the trade mission were:

• A deal won by Irish underwater technology company Cathx Ocean to supply equipment to enable a major US underwater vehicle manufacturer to ‘see clearly’ during underwater engineering operations, particularly around oil rigs and pipelines, which will help create 50 jobs in Kildare over the next two years.
• A $4million dollar contract won by Louth manufacturing company Suretank Engineering with Hoover Container Solutions Inc, for the supply of chemical transport tanks and containers for the safe transfer of chemicals and equipment for oil drilling to offshore deepwater rigs.
• A contract won by GTSS, the maritime training arm of global shipping, logistics and marine services provider GAC and the National Maritime College of Ireland, to train Chevron Shipping’s junior officer corps in Cork. As a result of the deal, over the course of four years, more than 450 officers from around the world will receive maritime training through GTSS at the state-of-the-art National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) facility in Cork.
• A $600,000 contract won by Monaghan manufacturing company Combilift, for the supply of multidirectional forklifts to TimkenSteel Corporation in Houston, a major US company specialising in deep precision hole making and finishing for the oil and gas sector.
• Other contracts with major US energy companies which cannot be disclosed for commercial reasons.

Pictured left to right: Aidan Cronin, Consul General of Ireland - Chicago, Governor Rick Perry, Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, Orla Battersby, Regional Director, North America – Enterprise Ireland, Donovan Miller, Manager – Austin Office, Enterprise Ireland.

Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello, TD, recently led 22 Irish companies in a major drive to boost international linkages and increase Irish exports to Qatar and Oman.

The three-day trade mission to Qatar and Oman focused on key sectors in these markets where Irish companies have particularly strong capabilities – higher education, telecommunications, life sciences, construction and engineering, and water/waste water. This was the first Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Oman.

Minister Costello attended a series of high level business engagements supporting the Irish companies’ drive in these markets. He also had a number of political engagements where bilateral and other issues of relevance, including human rights, were raised, as well as meetings with representatives of the Irish business community.

In line with Enterprise Ireland’s strategy, the trade mission provides a key foundation on which to strengthen economic, political and cultural links with Qatar and Oman. This mission, which follows a major trade mission led by an Taoiseach to the Gulf region in January, facilitated practical relationship building for Enterprise Ireland client companies with their current and prospective counterparts in the region, as well as raising the profile of Ireland at the highest levels of Government in the two countries.

The trade mission was highly successful, among the deals secured over the course of the mission was the signing of an MOU between Irish company Klondike Technologies and Qatar's Dyarco International Group.

Minister for Research and Innovation, Séan Sherlock TD, lead a three-day Enterprise Ireland trade mission to develop business links and increase Irish exports in Switzerland. The trade mission involved 65 Irish companies across a range of sectors, with the key focus on Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Engineering, Construction, ICT and Financial Services.

The trade mission included the main business cities of Geneva, Basel and Zurich, where Minister Sherlock had a series of high level business engagements supporting the Irish companies’ drive to increase exports in this market. The intense schedule also incorporated expert speaker seminars, Swiss-Irish business networking events, meetings with major Swiss corporations and research institutions and meetings with Irish and Swiss companies.

Over 200 Irish owned companies are already successfully doing business in Switzerland offering a wealth of innovative products and services to the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices, ICT, Construction, Engineering and NGO sectors. Growth figures for exports from Irish indigenous companies are particularly impressive, with over 50% growth in their exports to Switzerland in the last three years.