MORE than 60 new jobs have been created at a west Belfast business hub since April.
A recent survey at the Innovation Factory on the Springfield Road found that firms based there recruited 63 new positions since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the economic challenges, centre director Majella Barkley said 59 per cent of companies reported an increase in business, while 68 per cent said they had innovated to adapt to the new economic circumstances.
Among the firms reporting a significant increase in demand for its products is Trimedika, which produces its own brand non-contact thermometer.
The company has recruited five new sales and marketing staff and is planning to add two more to its international sales team in 2021. It is also creating another post to assist the company’s project engineer, who is developing a new connected smart thermometer.
Chief operating officer, Julie Brien said there has been a considerable rise in demand from healthcare organisations and businesses seeking to reduce the risk of infection on their premises.
She said the device had also generated interest from a range of sectors including prisons, schools, manufacturing and leisure.
“During the early lockdown, we found companies were trying to plan for when things would open again,” she said.
“The feedback we received was that people wanted to be able to go back to work. A lot of people value having a routine and having a dividing line between office and home.”
