Mid and East Antrim business backing for PPE sourcing portal

The council, with the support of Invest Northern Ireland, has recently adapted its BuySupplyNI portal, to link buyers with suppliers across Northern Ireland to access the products to ensure the safety of employees and customers, as businesses return to work. BuySupplyNI was developed by council’s Manufacturing Taskforce. The original portal, which was designed to link manufacturing, construction and engineering companies with suppliers of components and services, has been adapted to house a dedicated Covid-19 buy and supply section. The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Peter Johnston, said: “We have been delighted with the success of BuySupplyNI.com which was built by operations management software company BPMBuild. I would like to thank the CEO, Ryan Farren, and his team who have worked tirelessly over the last ten days to adapt the site and build its functionality to now have the ability to match buyers with local suppliers of Covid-19 related supplies. “I encourage buyers and suppliers to register, as these vital supplies will help keep Northern Ireland’s workforce and customers safe as the lockdown is lifted.” He added: “Some of our most enterprising manufacturers in Mid and East Antrim, and indeed right across Northern Ireland, have diversified their product range since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic to include high quality PPE and related supplies and they will now be able to display this new offering to an array of buyers.” Alan McKeown, Invest NI’s executive director of regional business, said: “As we look towards a pathway to recovery from Covid-19, supporting our whole economy to return, reset and rebound will require a strong collaborative approach. “Led by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, the new PPE service on the BuySupplyNI portal is a great example of partnership working across the eleven councils and will offer businesses a coordinated approach to the anticipated demands for PPE, as people return to work. I would encourage engagement from both companies who need PPE and suppliers who can assist, to register and begin making those connections to ease the transition as restrictions are lifted.” Christine McGrath, materials manager at Carrick-based Ryobi and part of the Manufacturing Task Force, commented: “By acting as a portal to connect buyers with local suppliers, BuySupplyNI has already made invaluable connections. Buyers are saving time and money sourcing products while suppliers are expanding their customer base. “The portal now provides an opportunity for Ryobi to source any additional PPE and related product requirements from local Northern Ireland suppliers so we can work through these challenging circumstances.” Mid and East Antrim business proprietor Michael Kane has praised the portal and the “huge potential” it offers to the economy. Mr Kane, chief financial officer of United Biotech Supplies Ltd, said: “We are delighted to be among the first to use this portal, which will provide a vital network for businesses right across our region.” Find out more and register online at www.buysupplyni.com/covid-19-supplies-register -- A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so. Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely. You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.