The Belleek Pottery Group will invest £2.5 million sterling (€4.08 million) to increase capacity at its Fermanagh premises and to expand exports. The investment will create 50 new jobs, of which 30 are already in place, the company said.

The project is being backed by Northern Ireland's Industrial Development Board, which is providing £375,000 sterling. Belleek managing director Mr John Maguire said the company was operating close to full capacity.

The investment would allow it to expand production and enable it to tap into opportunities it had identified for its products in the US and the Far East.

"We have set ambitious but achievable growth targets which should see exports provide 90 per cent of sales over the next three years," said Mr Maguire.

"By investing in new plant and machinery, capacity will increase, delivery lead times will be reduced further and our overall competitiveness will be strengthened. "This, in turn, will enhance the brand name and reinforce market share."

Exports currently provide 70 per cent of the company's sales - up from 61 per cent in 1997. The company aims to increase sales in Asia following its decision to set up an office in Tokyo employing three Japanese nationals, according to Mr Maguire.

"It is central to our five-year export marketing strategy to establish ourselves as a strong china brand in this extremely important marketplace," he said.

A spokeswoman for Belleek said Japan was now the biggest importer of china products in the world.

Yesterday's announcement is the second major investment by Belleek in the past number of weeks. At the end of November, it acquired Donegal Parian China for an undisclosed sum.

The addition of Donegal China has brought the Belleek group's turnover to just under £30 million sterling.

The group employs 800 people across four companies: Belleek Pottery in Fermanagh, Galway Irish Crystal, Aynsley China in Stoke-on-Trent in England and Donegal China.

Belleek Pottery currently employs 245 people in Fermanagh.