A NORTHERN Ireland electronics company is to invest £4.6 million (€6 million) in a major research, development and staff training programme in an effort to win new business.

Schrader Electronics specialises in the design and manufacturer of sensors and tyre pressure monitoring systems.

It supplies almost every car manufacturer in the world, including GM, Ford, Daimler, Chrysler, Nissan and Renault.

The company, which is part of the British group Tomkins plc, employs 830 people at its headquarters in Antrim and another manufacturing plant in Carrickfergus.

Michael Dawson, Schrader's HR development manager, said a significant amount of the new investment would be invested in training "across the board" in the company.

"It is important that we are innovative; the research and development side of our business is the reason why we are here today.

"The market for our products is predominantly in the United States but we are expanding our European markets. We want to continue to grow our business both in the United States and Europe and to do that we need to invest in new product development and in our workforce," Mr Dawson said.

Schrader's order book has benefited from the introduction of new safety legislation three years ago in the US which has increased the demand for tyre pressure monitoring equipment.