Latest news : Belfast tech company job boost

Andor Technology announces 166 new jobs as part of an £18million investment. 02/12/2011

The company makes high-performance, digital cameras for scientific research and was established in 1989 as part of a spin-off from Queen’s University Belfast. The new roles will be involved in manufacturing and production of their products.

The West Belfast-based company currently employs 230 staff in Northern Ireland and 321 staff globally.

‘Almost all the new jobs being created will pay above the Northern Ireland private sector median with two thirds paying 25% above this level. Overall, they will contribute some £7.6million to the economy in salaries annually. This is the kind of high-value employment that Invest NI is focused on supporting,’ said Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster.

The investment underpins an ambitious five-year growth plan to target new markets and acquisitions, with the aim of more than doubling the company’s turnover and expanding its portfolio of products to include mid-price cameras.

Invest NI has offered £1.5million in support of the project.

‘Our objective has always been to be the market leader in specialist scientific cameras and through continuous investment in R&D we have achieved international success in this field. Our ambitious strategy for growth over the next five years now includes acquisitions and targeting new market sectors,' said Conor Walsh, managing director of Andor Technology.

‘This investment is the next step in the process and Invest NI's support will be invaluable in helping us to ramp up production levels and quickly take advantage of market opportunities,’ he added.

‘The company has an excellent international reputation across an impressive and diverse customer base that includes major universities, national research laboratories and corporate R&D operations. Its commitment to customer-led product development has delivered an exceptionally strong performance in recent years,’ added Arlene Foster.