Francis Dinsmore, a 200-year-old textile company based in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, has secured a contract to supply wax-coated fabric with global clothing brand Barbour following a £1m expansion in new machinery which will apply wax coating to textile and the investment is projected to create 16 new jobs.

Barry Corrigan, MD and owner of Francis Dinsmore, said that they are delighted to have secured this contract with Barbour, a highly respected global heritage and lifestyle brand, and will use it as a springboard to market this new product on a global basis.

They are investing not only in new equipment but also in new staff and skills development to ensure that they can fully benefit from this opportunity. The support by capital from Invest NI has been crucial to allowing them to introduce this latest innovative production process and to enhance the skills of existing and new employees.

The facility will also help the company increase its export sales across Europe and the US.

The company, which has been providing a textile dyeing and finishing service for over 200 years, received almost £250k in support from Invest NI.

In recent years, Francis Dinsmore Ltd has added new textile finishes such as flame retardant, water repellent, anti-bacterial and now wax coatings, as well as exploring new composite fabrics.

Among the jobs created will be Production and Textile Operatives, Customer Service Executives and a Business Development Director.

The iconic brand Barbour brand was founded in 1894 in England by oil cloth importers, J. Barbour and Sons Ltd and has become world renowned since then for its waxed cotton outdoor jackets.