Ahead of this afternoon's long-awaited meeting of the Assembly's Executive - which is expected to focus on the struggling economy - there has been a positive announcement on employment.

Some 30 new jobs related to the construction industry are in prospect today as the NI First Minister Peter Robinson and the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness officially opened a new £9 million production plant in Belfast. 



The two top politicians also revealed that they would jointly travel to the USA within weeks in a further effort to secure more investment and better trade links for Northern Ireland.

The investment by Larsen Manufacturing, a market leader in the manufacture and supply of chemicals for the construction industry in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, will boost the company's production capability, creating the new jobs.



The investment in the new facility, situated in the Port of Belfast, is the culmination of a period of strong growth for the company which has seen turnover increase by over 40% since 2005.

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Support from Invest Northern Ireland towards investments in innovative product development projects has been key to this success.


Speaking at the opening event, Mr Robinson said: "Despite the current challenging economic conditions, particularly within the construction sector, Larsen is an excellent example of how such businesses can compete by focusing on innovation and new product development.

"The new production facility is a symbol of the company's success in export markets and will accelerate its future growth.

"With over 30 years' experience in supplying the construction industry, Larsen has a strong tradition of manufacturing excellence which it has translated into real bottom line success and a leading market position.

"The enhanced production capability delivered by this new production plant, combined with the ongoing support of Invest NI, will ensure that the company is well-placed to build on its success to date," he said.

Also commenting, Mr McGuinness said: "As an Executive our top priority in the coming weeks is to deliver an economic package that will help both businesses and households weather this current economic storm.

"Amongst a range of measures, we are looking at ways to expedite our capital expenditure programme, to inject vital Government spending into the system as quickly as possible.

"The First Minister and I will also travel to the US in the next few weeks to build on the excellent achievements of the US investment conference earlier this year in securing further investment and trade links in our economy."

Larsen has invested £9million in the new production facility in addition to Invest NI offering £290,836 towards a number of R&D-based investments.

(BMcC)