Winning new business

Electronics Times, April 27, 1998 by Will Haire

Nortel has set up an advanced engineering centre adjacent to the manufacturing operation. This centre, part of Nortel's R&D arm BNR Europe, employs around 275 graduates and intends to increase this to 350 as demand for telecoms products soars.

Northern Ireland's association with these and other leading international companies has further enhanced its growing reputation as one of Europe's leading low-cost manufacturing centres for high-value products, particularly within the electronics industry.

But perhaps the best stories to tell are those of local companies which, through their innovations, are enhancing the reputation of the Northern Ireland electronics industry across the world.

For instance, Andor Technology, a Queen's University spin-off, is developing and manufacturing light measurement equipment including spectrometers for customers such as Eastman Kodak, Westinghouse, the Japanese Space Agency and the Los Alamos National Research Institute.

Yet another Queen's spin-off is Audio Processing Technology (APT), a leader in sound compression electronics. PA systems developed by APT are being used on the recently completed rail link to the new Hong Kong airport, and the Piccadilly line in London.

Companies such as APT and Andor illustrate the depth of talent available in Northern Ireland's electronics sector in the count down to the millennium.

Will Haire is executive director of marketing for the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board.