Lisburn-based manufacturer Smiley Monroe (www.smileymonroe.com has secured new business valued at £265,000 in the USA and Asia, following Invest NI support to exhibit at ConExpo — the exhibition for the construction industries — in Las Vegas in March.

Alison Gowdy, Invest NI’s director of trade, said: “Innovation and R&D are at the core of Smiley Monroe’s DNA as a company. Visitors to the stand at ConExpo learned about its diverse product range by slipping on a Virtual Reality headset and enjoying an immersive four-minute product experience.

This innovative way of selling its products helped the company to win the new business, and it intends to roll out the experience at future exhibitions.

Through fostering a partnership approach with the company, including support to create 31 new jobs in 2014, Smiley Monroe has been able to scale quickly and invest in growth in international markets.”

Smiley Monroe’s core manufactured products are hot-spliced ‘endless conveyor belts’ and custom rubber parts, produced locally and exported to over 40 countries for use in applications such as mobile crushing, screening, recycling and washing, environmental, bulk material handling and road construction.

Global sales director Chris Monroe said: “This new business is a direct result of our marketing efforts in North America, and it is a very encouraging signal, as we prepare to expand our presence there.

“We want to cultivate new business in the region and better serve our already established OEM customer base by rolling out our proven ‘Just in time’ delivery model. The first step will be in-country sales support by the end of 2017.”

Smiley Monroe is a family-run business (founded in 1979) that operates from two premises in Lisburn and employs 140 people. It also has a manufacturing facility in India to service the local market.

Upon returning from ConExpo, the company reported record sales figures for the first quarter of 2017 and is now on track for record sales this year.