ELECTRICAL engineer Houghton International has won its first order from the Far East as it continues with its plans to create 40 jobs over the next three years.

The business, based on Walker Riverside, in Newcastle, has won a lucrative order from Singapore, helping it to move closer to its target of breaking through the £3m turnover barrier this year, with £5m targeted within the next two years.

It comes after a successful period for Houghton, during which it won business worth £314,000 from a trade show in Florida, as well as orders from Canada, Kuwait and Ireland.

First-half sales have increased 20 per cent year-onyear, and the firm expanded into a 10,000sq ft manufacturing unit in November to help keep pace with its growth.

Interest is also being seen from across the Middle East, Asia and North America, which the firm hopes may lead to further orders.

General manger Craig Hutton said: “Singapore is not a market we have strategically targeted as our focus in the past 12 months has been on developing the Middle East and Canada, where we have agents on the ground, and the US, the biggest market in the world for our high voltage products. So when this came in on the back of a referral from a supplier, we were over the moon.”