German Software business to locate in Downpatrick

Isardata Software Quality Engineering, a specialist software testing business based at Wolfratshausen, is to set up a software testing and development operation at Down Business Centre in Downpatrick.

The Munich-based business is investing £571,000 in the new centre, which is being established to meet a growing European demand for its services and to provide a platform for growth in the UK.

The investment was announced by Chief Executive of Invest NI, Leslie Morrison, and Dr Nandakishore Banerjee, Isardata Chief Executive Officer.

Founded in 1986, Isardata's expertise is in the supply of products and services in the field of software quality assurance and testing. Isardata Test Office is the company's own product designed for the test management and automated testing of software.

The Downpatrick operation will provide software quality assurance products and services as well as expertise in software testing and development.

Welcoming the investment, Mr Morrison said: "Isardata is an entrepreneurial and technically expert company which has developed a strong reputation in a critically important IT market niche that is set for strong growth.

"The investment introduces a new IT function to Northern Ireland's developing software cluster and, over the next three years, will provide good quality opportunities for 15 people to gain new skills and experience as quality assurance engineers with a company already operating across Europe.

"The presence of a respected German technology company in Northern Ireland will help us to promote our knowledge-based economy to the ICT sector in Germany and other European centres."

Outlining the company's plans, Dr Banerjee said: "Our business is focused on helping clients ensure that increasingly sophisticated and customised software packages are quality assured to operate efficiently at all times.

"This expertise is now in great demand because software underpins virtually every aspect of business today. As a result, the global market for quality test tools is projected to grow to $2.5 billion by 2005."

Dr Banerjee said the company had decided to locate an operation in Northern Ireland because of a shortage of software testing and development skills in Germany.

Their decision was also influenced by favourable comments about Northern Ireland's highly skilled and easily motivated people by Segue, one of their software development partners which has had a technical support operation in Belfast since 1996.

Chitra Dewan, who will be the Managing Director of the Downpatrick operation, said Isardata is expected to start recruitment in August and the company will begin operations the following month.

(MB)