Kitchen and bedroom manufacturer Uform welcomed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris MP to its Toomebridge facility.

The visit formed part of the Northern Ireland Office Business Engagement Plan and saw the Minister tour the 225,000 sq ft manufacturing facility, including painting, warehousing and the company’s Design Centre.

The conversations with the Secretary of State included how availability of industrial land helps scale businesses, attract talent and retain the workforce and how businesses could be supported through cleaner energy sources such as wind and solar.

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Uform Group has recently celebrated 30 years of business and its CEO Simon Oliphant spoke about the success of the company, what the future holds in terms of the company’s five-year growth plan and where government support will be pivotal going forward.

“We were delighted to welcome Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris MP to our facilities here in Toomebridge.

“For businesses to thrive, we need to move away from myopic policies, policymakers need to shift the focus and develop longer term strategies. Success can only be measured over a sustained timeframe.

“Thankfully, the site we occupied had land set aside via Invest NI for industrial development.

“Over the last 10 years we have built six separate extensions, and the availability of the land was paramount.

“This alongside the road and infrastructure improvements have been significantly beneficial to our growth.”

Commenting on the visit, the Secretary of State said: “I had a fantastic time during my visit to Uform, a company that has had a remarkable growth journey and ambitious plans to grow even further.

“The UK Government is committed to ensuring that businesses of all sizes and sectors across the entire breadth of the UK can realise the benefits of international trade by improving their export capabilities and skills.”