#CargoOfBricks 7: Cooperation, looking outwards and maximising Northern Ireland's advantage...

Slugger O'Toole

Episode Seven of #CargoOfBricks, is with Willie McCarter a man who brought Fruit of the Loom in from the US to expand his family business at a time when the Troubles were at their height and brought skilled jobs to both sides of the border.

In it Willie tells us:

• In the early 80s, with high-interest rates as governments tried to get inflation under control, the business was getting crushed on cost and prices. With IDA support, they looked for a joint venture with a US company "with deep pockets".
• In a short time, they went from 400 employees to 3000, with six or seven plants in Donegal and two in Derry, producing a million teeshirts a week and 400,000 sweatshirts by adapting to new high volume tech and Fruit of the Loom's model.
• Expansion of a yarn mill on the Derry side was the result of pressure from direct rule Minister Richard Needham and John Hume, commercial pressure from the US head office, and suspension of planning for IDB sponsored projects.

Willie finished by saying that the case of setting up of transnational businesses in border areas like Donegal and Derry has never been more opportunity with the ability to access global markets through the UK and European ones through the Republic.

Meantime, see you next week. You can subscribe to Cargo of Bricks, Slugger TV, and our other podcasts on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts or Spotify.