Londonderry-based Global Equipment Spares Ltd (GES) (www.ge-spares.com) has said that it will more than double its workforce over the next three years, as part of a bid to increase its export sales six-fold.

With support from Invest Northern Ireland, the company is to spend £1.9 million on upgrading its facility, buying new machinery and creating 61 new jobs (www.investni.com).

GES makes products from high-strength and wear-resistant steels for OEMs that manufacture quarrying, mining, construction and agricultural equipment (and are based in Great Britain, the Republic, the EU and the USA).

Its customers include Terex, Telestack, Sandvik, McCloskey International, Kleemann Wirtgen, Astec Industries and Kuhn Farm Machinery.

Announcing the investment, Invest NI’s Jeremy Fitch said: “Our offer of £396,000 is enabling GES to position the business so that it can make and export more components, particularly to North America.

“The 61 new jobs over the next three years will generate £1.3 million annually in additional salaries. This investment marks a significant ‘step change’ for the business, as it seeks to scale up its production capabilities to meet the growing opportunities for its products outside Northern Ireland.”

John McClenaghan, managing director of GES, said: “This expansion is part of a strategy to grow sales and increase both our workforce and our product offering to meet identified opportunities in new and existing markets.

“We have set ourselves a challenging target for new export business, and we will be focused on leveraging our reputation in the industry to secure new customers.

“Invest NI’s support is allowing us to fully implement our growth plans and create valuable employment opportunities across a range of disciplines in the North West.”