Oldcastle engineering firm wins award for French sales success
Meath engineering company, Dromone Engineering, has been awarded a prestigious business award in recognition of the company's contribution towards bilateral trade and investment between Ireland and France. The Oldcastle company was awarded the 2009 Prix de l'Entreprise de l'Année (Annual Business of the Year Award) by the Ireland France Chamber of Commerce (IFCC) and its French counterpart, CCIFIRL, at an awards ceremony held in the Embassy of Ireland in Paris on 4th December. The award recognises outstanding contribution towards bilateral trade and investment between Ireland and France. JC Decaux Ireland and La Rousse Foods won the award in Ireland. Dromone Engineering, which is an Enterprise Ireland client company, has been doing business in France for over 15 years and won the award in France for its business development and successes in the market. Dromone designs, manufactures and markets a range of pick-up hitches for tractors, quick couplers for excavators and specialist attachments for the construction and environmental industries. In the main, Dromone works with large tractor manufacturing companies, including Massey Ferguson and Claas, and, more recently, with Bob Cat and Volvo Construction Equipment. The north Meath company's business in France continues to grow. Dromone successfully launched its new excavator screening and recycling unit at the Intermat show in Paris in April and has already secured orders with a number of large infrastructure companies in France and Italy as a result of this. Dromone also signed a contract with Volvo Construction Equipment at the Intermat event to supply quick couplers for a range of Volvo excavators and back hoe loaders worldwide. This contract was secured after a lengthy approval process with Volvo Construction Equipment in Belley, France. William Egenton, managing director of Dromone Engineering, said: "It is a great honour to receive this award in recognition of the hard work that is going on in Dromone during this difficult economic period. The team in Dromone has done a great job in managing existing operations, developing new products and winning new business against a backdrop of global recession in the industries that we operate in. We are optimistic that we will continue to grow the business with innovative, quality and competitive product and service." Congratulating Dromone, Gary Fallon, Enterprise Ireland's France manager, said: "In a year of a global economic downturn, exports by Enterprise Ireland clients to France increased by six per cent. As a key contributor to these exports, Dromone is a very well deserving winner of this prestigious annual business award. Dromone has succeeded in the discerning French market due to its continuous investment in R&D, resulting in truly innovative products and its impeccable management of its loyal customer base in France." Mr Fallon added that the Oldcastle firm has built its business in France steadily over a number of years and, despite strong competition for this year's award, was a unanimous choice for this year's jury.