Cavan company in major trade mission to Scotland

Cootehill company Raptor Engineering and CombiLift in Monaghan are among 56 companies taking part in a two-day trade mission to Scotland, led by Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys.

Members of the delegation will seek to strengthen trade across cleantech, agritech, construction, automotive, financial services and digital technology between the two countries.

Raptor Engineering is a mechanical engineering and fabrication company that specialises in the design and manufacture of bespoke equipment for water and wastewater treatment.

It delivers high-quality products and services to the Agri and food sectors including dairies, rendering plants, poultry plants and abattoirs, as well as local authorities and commercial facilities.

MD and founder Denis Brady Jnr is the fourth generation in a family of engineers who have been designing, manufacturing and installing engineering services since the early part of the 20th century.

Enterprise Ireland clients export €277m to Scotland every year, which is a market of nearly 5.5 million people. As a stand-alone market, it is the 13th largest export market for Enterprise Ireland clients overall; while Ireland is the 4th largest foreign direct investor in Scotland.
“Our countries have a lot in common - we are geographically close; we share a language, as well as legal and business practices; and we have strong cultural and historical links," said the Minister.
“In addition, Scotland has experienced continuous economic improvement in recent years with GDP growth, falling unemployment and increased international investment. 
“Put simply, dynamic countries need dynamic partners," continued Minister Humphreys.
The trade mission starts today in Glasgow for a networking meeting at SSE’s Off-Short Wind Centre of Excellence. It then continue to Troon, a town on the West Coast, to visit Glennon Brothers, at their state-of-the-art timber facility. 
Glennons is a family-run timber processing company which employs 190 people in Longford, Fermoy and Arklow, and 170 people in Scotland – all rural areas.
“I will then be joining a roundtable discussion on supporting the environmental performance of Scotland’s food and beverage sector, followed by a trade dinner with our Irish companies and potential Scottish partners," detailed Minister Humphreys.
Ivan McKee, Scottish Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation, will also attend.
Thursday's engagements include an agriculture roundtable discussion on how Irish companies can contribute to the changing face of farming in Scotland; as well as another roundtable meeting with the financial services sector.
“In addition, I will meet with my Scottish counterpart, Minister Derek McKay, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work; and have a session with Science Foundation Ireland and academics at Edinburgh University about how we can collaborate more closely," said the Cavan and Monaghan
“I hope that Combilift and Raptor Engineering, together with all of the companies involved, find the trade mission useful and come home on Friday with plenty of new business leads. I am greatly looking forward to working closely with them in the coming days to strengthen ties with Scottish enterprise,” concluded the Mninister.