Craigavon-based agri-tech firm, Axis Technology & Development has won a £4m deal with the Canadian mushroom grower, Highline Mushrooms, which will see the company recruit seven new staff members to support growth.
Axis Technology will deliver 32 harvesting conveyors and 17 mushroom processing units to Canada.
Alan Doake, Director of the firm said: “Mushroom growers face a constant challenge of recruiting and retaining staff to harvest their crops. Traditional mushroom harvesting by hand is not only time consuming but can lead to a considerable amount of wastage.
"Our mushroom harvesting system combats these challenges and enables farmers to increase the volumes of mushrooms harvested by more than 10% from reducing wastage alone. Utilising our system considerably increases the farm’s profitability through increased efficiency while also typically halving harvesting costs.
"We very much look forward to expanding our team with seven new staff to support the demand for our technology in not only Canada but worldwide and in doing so, continue to build a strong export focused business.”
RELATED: Datactics graduates head to NYC and Tokyo
Axis Technology used Invest Northern Ireland support for Research and Development (R&D) to develop and refine its mushroom harvesting system.
The machinery provides farmers with mushroom harvesting solutions which improve the efficiency of the mushroom harvesting and packing process by over 100% and facilitates harvesters operating at four times their normal output once implemented.
Congratulating the company on its first major export success, Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: “Successes such as these show that there is still a clear appetite for Northern Ireland products and services in international markets, even during challenging times. Invest NI is on hand to help and has a vast range of support on offer.”
RELATED: US firm Microchip Technology to create up to 200 Irish jobs
Since 2017, Invest NI has provided advice on UK Patent application and an EU design registration and offered the company £120,000 of support towards R&D for the design and development of its mushroom harvesting system, skills development and technical assistance.
Invest NI’s CEO, Kevin Holland, added: “Axis Technology is a company with innovation at its heart. I am pleased that our range of R&D support has led to this success. Canada is our third largest export market and this new contract win demonstrates the opportunities available overseas for ambitious Northern Ireland companies.
In recognition of Axis Technology & Development’s commitment to innovation, it has been awarded a Platinum Level Innovator Certificate from Innovate NI.
RELATED: Hybrid tech sectors such as AgriTech and MedTech see surge in opportunities during COVID-19 outbreak