Support to get businesses safely back to work

Northern Ireland companies are now able to source a number of supplies of PPE and social distancing products from www.BuySupplyNI.com
Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Cllr Peter Johnston, encourages buyers and suppliers to register with BuySupplyNI.com which has a new dedicated section for COVID-19 suppliesMayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Cllr Peter Johnston, encourages buyers and suppliers to register with BuySupplyNI.com which has a new dedicated section for COVID-19 supplies
Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Cllr Peter Johnston, encourages buyers and suppliers to register with BuySupplyNI.com which has a new dedicated section for COVID-19 supplies

Mid & East Antrim Council, with the support of Invest Northern Ireland, has recently adapted its specially designed BuySupplyNI portal, to provide a means to link buyers in the borough with suppliers across Northern Ireland to access the products needed to ensure the safety of employees and customers, as businesses return to work.

BuySupplyNI was developed by Council’s Manufacturing Taskforce, an industry-led collaboration developed between local businesses, council and key stakeholders.

The original portal, which was designed to link manufacturing, construction and engineering companies with local suppliers of components and services, has been adapted with the support of Invest Northern Ireland to house a dedicated Covid-19 buy and supply section.

This is a new section to the portal which is in its infancy but, with the support of Northern Ireland companies, could develop to fill the current and growing need for PPE and other social distancing supplies during the pandemic.

The site, which has received the support of all eleven councils in Northern Ireland, features dedicated areas where manufacturers and distributors of PPE and relevant products can register and upload the products they can supply or detail the products they require and make instant connections which would ultimately lead to reduced times for buyers searching for suppliers.

Mid and East Antrim Mayor, Cr. Peter Johnston, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, said: “We have been delighted with the success of BuySupplyNI.com which was built by operations management software company BPMBuild.

“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.

“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. Steps such as these will help rejuvenate the economy of Northern Ireland by boosting the sales of local suppliers, saving time and money for local buyers and creating connections which could be built upon for years.”

Alan McKeown, Invest NI’s Executive Director of Regional Business, said: “Led by Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, the new PPE service on the BuySupplyNI portal is a great example of partnership working across the 11 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.”

To find out more or register online go to www.buysupplyni.com/covid-19-supplies-register

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