One of the first firms to produce 'intelligent evacuation technology' for life-saving escape from buildings has been in the spotlight this week.

The Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson and the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have visited Lightstep Technologies in Dunmurry.

They were told that Lightstep Technologies was established in 2003 and in recent years has received some Invest NI assistance, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to support its research and development plans.

Mr Robinson said: "Lightstep Technologies is an internationally focused business, which has significant export potential in markets including the USA and Middle East. For all Northern Ireland companies, innovation and strategic business improvements are important elements to achieve success, particularly in highly competitive areas such as the global safety industry."

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Mr McGuinness commented: "Lightstep Technologies has demonstrated a strong focus on new product development as the means to driving the future growth of the business. It is this focus on Research & Development that is providing a competitive platform from which Lightstep can target business in key global markets."

The two politicians were told that the system is a lighting guidance system for floors and stairways, incorporating automatic activation, whose visibility is not compromised, even in a smoke filled environment.

Incorporating an intelligent control box, it links the components of proximity sensors, Lightstep product variants and fire or smoke detector together to form an emergency lighting system.

The Lightstep product range is a novel concept in the lighting of stairways, floors and corridors, effectively addressing some of the areas of concern with regard to public safety when evacuation of a building becomes a matter of life or death.

(GK/BMcC)