B.I. Electrical Services Announces Expansion

Belfast-based B.I. Electrical Services is set to create 26 new jobs.

The engineering company is increasing its workforce as part of an expansion drive.

The company will seek work in the Asia Pacific, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster made the announcement ahead of a three day trade development mission to the UAE.

Arlene Foster said: "B.I. Electrical are to be congratulated on the expansion of their business into new markets in Asia Pacific and the Gulf States, and the creation of 26 new jobs.

"B.I. Electrical joins an increasing number of local companies who recognise the importance of looking beyond local markets to take advantage of the opportunities that exist across the globe.

"It is important that we continue to build strong economic relationships with trading partners in international markets. I welcome the opportunity to return to the United Arab Emirates to further develop these links and promote Northern Ireland’s tourism offering.

"Export-led economic growth is critical to our future prosperity and I would encourage our businesses to explore the possibilities which new and emerging markets present."

B.I. Electrical, a specialist in commercial and industrial electrical installation, will be creating the 26 new jobs at its Mallusk-based facility.

The expansion into the new regions will be led by newly appointed non-executive Director, Jim Speirs, who is known globally within the electrical engineering sector having served in high profile roles including Chairman of the Ascertiva Group, the industry body which oversees certification, training and safety for the industry.

B.I. Electrical Services, an Invest Northern Ireland client, said its plans include the establishment of a partnership network in the regions which will operate under the B.I. Electrical Services brand. It also plans to create a three-year apprenticeship scheme to attract new talent into the company.

Invest NI has offered B.I. Electrical Services over £49,000 of marketing assistance to help the business secure new customers in its target markets.

Ian Humphreys who founded B.I. Electrical Services in 1989 believes that despite the significant challenges faced by the electrical engineering sector,opportunities exist locally and globally for the high quality electrical engineering services provided by his company.

He said: "This year has been a remarkable period of growth for B.I. Electrical Services allowing us to strengthen our local operations and to explore opportunities in the global markets. As part of the expansion we have strengthened our leadership team through the appointment of Jim Speirs who is known across the world as an advocate for high quality standards across the industry.

"This allows us to enter export markets with enhanced creditability and awareness for the high quality and standard of services that B.I. Electrical Services delivers."

The expansion plans come on the back of a report by industry analysts Plimsoll, who name B.I. Electrical Services as one of the top performing UK companies consistently across sales growth, best trading partners, pre-tax profit margin. B.I. Electrical Services whose turnover was £7.8million in 2011 is expected to grow to £12million by the end of this financial year. The analyst report names B.I. Electrical Services as the only Northern Ireland Company to be ranked alongside industry leaders in the top five places for growth across the UK’sElectrical Contractors industry.

Newly appointed board member Jim Speirs believes the Asia Pacific region and Saudi Arabia represented a significant opportunity for B.I.Electrical Services.

He said: "Both regions have fast-growing economies and this is creating opportunities for electrical engineering that B.I. Electrical services are ideally placed to take advantage of. The quality management that B.I. Electrical Services brings will create a significant differentiation from which we are confident of securing new business."

(GK)