Eight Northern Ireland firms have visited one of the world's biggest construction exhibitions this week, as part of an Invest Northern Ireland organised trade mission.

The firms visited Intermat 2009 in Paris as part of Invest NI's programme of marketing initiatives for the Northern Ireland construction industry.

Intermat is the world's second biggest building products and materials exhibition and is held every three years in the French capital. This is the first mission that Invest NI has organised to the event.

There were six national pavilions, representing China, South Korea, the USA, Great Britain, Ireland and Finland.

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Sectors featured for the first time include mines and quarries, drilling and boring; equipment, components and accessories, handling, logistics and fork-lift truck manufacturers.

The Northern Ireland group included companies from the machinery manufacture, engineering and building sectors.

Taking part in the delegation are several companies with extensive international business including CDE Ireland, the Cookstown-based designer and manufacturer of screening and sandwashing machinery; Telestack International of Omagh, a market leader in telescopic storage systems; Rapid International, Tandragee, a developer of concrete batching and recycling machinery; and McCauley Trailers, Toomebridge, a manufacturer of industrial and agricultural trailers.

Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Trade Director, said: "The visit to Intermat in Paris is a further example of our commitment to help construction industry companies explore new business opportunities outside Northern Ireland."

She added: "We've also been encouraged by increased interest shown by construction sector companies in our mission programme to markets including India and China."

(PR/JM)