Old Mill Saddlery Scoops Business In Japan

Old Mill Saddlery in Carrickfergus has received Invest Northern Ireland assistance which has helped the company win its first business in Japan.

The company was helped by Invest NI to develop a new e-commerce website that led to an order for its exercise saddles from one of Japan's leading race horse trainers.

The business in Japan was outlined by Robert Patton, Managing Director of Old Mill Saddlery, and welcomed by Olive Hill, Invest NI’s Director of Innovation and Technology Solutions.

Invest NI assisted the company to upgrade an existing website and boost its effectiveness in e-commerce. Mrs Hill said: "Old Mill Saddlery's growing success in international markets such as Japan is an excellent example of how our technical team can assist companies, both large and small and across all sectors, to strengthen their competitiveness by harnessing the latest internet technology much more effectively.

"Our technical team provided advice and practical support that resulted in the development of a new e-commerce-focused site which made it easier for customers to purchase products and provided essential data for the company about sales and purchases."

Mr Patton said: "The new website has made a huge difference to our business especially in terms of our sales outside Northern Ireland. It has helped us grow exports to 20 countries including Japan, Russia and Indonesia.

"The Japanese business came through the website and is immensely important because of the high interest there in horse racing. Our exercise saddles are based on our own design and are manufactured here using locally sourced components. The business will, therefore, benefit other local companies.

"Our aim will be to build on this initial business to expand sales to other trainers in what is a very dynamic industry in Japan.

"The new computer system represented a very substantial investment for us and wouldn’t have been undertaken without Invest NI advice and assistance. It is a major factor in the growth that we’ve been experiencing over the past few years including an increase in business last year of 25 per cent. We are continuing to invest in technology and with support from Invest NI are implementing solutions to integrate all our systems to allow for even further expansion."

Old Mill Saddlery was formed by Mr Patton as a sole trader in 1985 to repair and manufacture quality equestrian equipment. The company now employs 20 people.

(CD)