THE North-East could see investment and employment in its chemical manufacturing industry after a series of deals were struck at a global conference.

Representatives from the North-East Process Industries Cluster (Nepic) attended their first Informex-USA conference, regarded as the main marketplace for global business in the specialist chemical sector.

As a result, Nepic, which represents the interests of more than 260 chemical and pharmaceutical companies in the region, said it had struck deals with some of the delegates.

Although the significance of the agreements is not yet known, it is hoped that investment and job opportunities could be coming to the region.

Two major conferences - one on biofuels in November, and the other a specialist conference in autumn next year - are also due to be held in the North-East as a result of the delegation's attendance at the event.

Dr Stan Higgins, chief executive of Nepic, said: "As a result of the contacts made at InformexUSA, Nepic has been successful in securing some great deals for the North-East region."