A HULL home improvement company is helping businesses to recover on the earthquake-hit island of Haiti.
East Yorkshire Glazing (EYG), based in Wiltshire Road, is shipping 77 doors to the Caribbean country as part of a major rebuilding following the 2010 quake.
The firm is working with a company in Ireland which is leading the rebuilding works on a commercial building in the island.
A representative from the Ireland-based firm Unique Fit Out visited EYG's premises and was given a factory tour and a demonstration of their manufacturing processes in order to secure the deal.
Steve Swallow, commercial manager at EYG, said: "I am delighted we secured this contract. It's a great thing to be part of, helping people who have suffered in the earthquake and returning a small piece of their lives back to normality.
"This represented one of many commercial sales for June and July, which turned out to be bumper months for us this year.
"We have seen a large number of contracts for the summer months so far and it's such a morale boost to see the industry reviving in this way."
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit at 4.53pm (9.53pm GMT) on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Phone lines to the country failed shortly afterwards.
The quake, which struck about ten miles south-west of Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5- magnitude.
The earthquake, which is estimated to have killed about 200,000 people, affected 250,000 homes and 30,000 commercial buildings.
Three years on, the island is still recovering, with hundreds of thousands of people still living in makeshift camps.
The five-figure deal for EYG will see the company play a key part in making a commercial premises safe to use again.
Tony Castledine, trade sales consultant for EYG Commercial, said the order is unique due to the distance the doors are due to be shipped and the circumstances of the project.
He said: "The doors are being shipped to Haiti and will be installed in an eight-storey building which is currently unsafe.
"The contractors tell me they will be erecting a steel structure around the outside of the building which will make it safe to withstand hurricanes.
"He said he was really impressed with the time we took to show him around the factory, and explain our manufacturing systems to him, and that he was also impressed with our customer service. That is why we won the order.
"It's an unusual job, but one that gives us a lot of satisfaction, knowing that our doors have been chosen as a fantastic, safe product to perform in a region blighted by natural weather disasters."
The doors are being shipped to Haiti in a container this month.
