A MANUFACTURER has received £200,000 to help generate further demand for its system making it easier to lift construction materials into high buildings.

Xena Systems received the funding through the NEL Fund Managers-run Growth Fund, part of the £125m Finance for Business North- East Fund.

The investment will be used to build the UK sale and hire markets for its LoadSwift crane and platform system, for loading materials into or out of buildings taller than four storeys.

It will also be targeting the construction industries in selected countries where it has already had some success.

Middlesbrough based Xena Systems, which was formed in 2004 as a construction equipment hire business, expects that about six jobs will be created as a result of its planned expansion.

Xena Systems chairman Simon Constantine said: “The past couple of years have clearly been difficult for the construction industry, and that has obviously had a knock-on effect on our own business.

“But the quality of the LoadSwift product and the Xena team’s commitment has ensured we’ve retained our market-leading position and are now in good shape to make further positive progress.

“Some international markets have remained quite buoyant despite the global recession.

“There are clear signs of recovery in the US and UK, and we know there are significant commercial opportunities for us in other markets as well, so all in all, we believe we have many reasons to be positive about the rest of this year and beyond.”

Jane Siddle, investment executive at NEL, which made a previous £500,000 investment in Xena in 2008, added: “The Xena management team has a clear vision for the future development of the LoadSwift system, and the resources required to translate this vision into commercial success both at home and abroad.”