Claremorris firm develops innovative new technology
COVID-19 has impacted on many areas of business, including accelerating the move from cash to card and contactless payment. Always ahead of the game, CBE in Claremorris was already preparing for this trend when the pandemic hit.
T.J. McHugh, the firm’s R&D director, said that when the pandemic hit, they realised that self-service checkouts would be more popular than ever but, for forecourts, no solution existed to purchase fuel in the same transaction as groceries.
He elaborated: “We teamed up with InterTradeIreland to develop new technology, in conjunction with Ulster University. Now we’ve designed that solution. It’s already being used in multiple forecourts across the UK and Ireland.”
The collaboration with Ulster University was made possible through InterTradeIreland’s Innovation Boost programme, which matches third level institutions with SMEs that are seeking to innovate. The initiative also funds a graduate to work in the business.
As a result of the success of the project, CBE has been awarded Exemplar status by InterTradeIreland. This prestigious accolade has only been awarded to five SMEs across the island this year.
Alan Morrow, assistant director at InterTradeIreland, commented: “We are delighted to support ambitious companies across the island that are committed to innovation. CBE’s partnership with Ulster University and graduate Stephen King highlights the success and commercial benefits that come from collaboration. The results speak for themselves. We would encourage other SMEs who want to build innovation into their business to contact InterTradeIreland.”
T.J. Added: “Collaboration can really fast-track product development. We used cutting-edge technology to develop the new forecourt solution and leaned on the expertise of Ulster University to gain new knowledge. We have also up-skilled staff. The graduate that was funded through the InterTradeIreland programme is now employed by CBE.
“Innovation Boost is easy to apply for, and if you have a particular project in mind that you want assistance with, I would definitely recommend it. We’re delighted with how well it’s worked out for us. This new forecourt technology has huge potential and retailers are already seeing the benefits.”
For further information on InterTradeIreland and the business supports available, visit www.intertradeireland.com.