In 2006/07, the company generated £635,000 of sales outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland; in the 2007/08 financial year, export sales had grown to just under £2.1m – an increase of 230 per cent.

This impressive growth has meant that export markets now accounts for a significant proportion of the company’s total business and represents over 165 trailers that have been destined for European markets.

The E2 programme is an exciting new Export Development Programme from Invest NI, delivered by Parity and Envision; the programme is designed to partner highly talented graduates with local companies that wish to develop export opportunities in markets outside of NI.

Following a rigorous selection process, Sinead Geraghty was matched with the company and tasked with the objective of developing an export sales and marketing strategy and establishing effective distribution channels in Scandinavia.

Commenting on the programme, Sinead said: "The E2 programme has provided me with an excellent combination of practical export marketing training and real-world experience, giving me the ability to deal with potential distributors and customers with confidence."

Jonathan Hanna, McCauley’s Operations Manager, remarked that “the E2 programme has had a massive impact on the business".

"Sinead’s enthusiasm, tenacity and capability has enabled her to make an immediate contribution – not only has she secured significant new business and additional partners in a number of European markets, but she has also taken the initiative to redevelop our website and promotional material. We have been so impressed by the programme and the results achieved to date that we have commenced a further project to expand our sales base into Eastern Europe," Jonathan said.

Maurice Patterson, Invest NI’s Head of Unit Trade commented on the programme’s success to date, stating: "The E2 Programme has been successfully running for two years now and has attracted over 100 businesses because of the positive impact it has on export performance in target markets. The programme has delivered significant results over the nine month project duration for McCauley’s, demonstrating the benefits of having a dedicated export marketing resource via E2.”

For more details visit the website www.e2programme.com.

Companies interested in getting involved should contact Elaine McQuillan at Envision on 028 9045 2777 or e-mail elainemc@envision-ni.co.uk and graduates should contact Vickki Marshall at Parity on 0845 8739695 or v.marshall@parity.net