Humanitarian shelter-maker Extremis Technology is launching into India, in a bid to fill up its order book and help families in disaster-hit areas.

The Future50 firm, based at the Hethel Engineering Centre, has been invited to showcase its shelter at a sales event in New Delhi, where it hopes to receive orders for between 1,000 and 3,000 shelters.

Chief executive Julia Glenn said there were 'massive opportunities' in the region, which is home to a large number of displaced families.

'So far our orders have always been for one or two, or groups of four and five, which is why India is so important because of the number of people there,' she added.

'The idea of putting one of the shelters on a plane to India is incredibly exciting. Being in, and doing business in, India is what we were always about.'

It comes after the firm signed a new deal with Velcro – which is used in the shelters – to use the product free of charge 'for life'.

The Boston-based company has also bought one of the HuSh Storm shelters for its US office.

'That is really exciting for us,' said Ms Glenn.

'It has been such hard work but there is nobody, even at FTSE level, that will say it's not been worth it.'

Extremis Technology's HuSh shelters are designed to be deployed about six months after a humanitarian disaster or refugee crisis.

When emergency shelters such as tents are no longer needed, and the task of rebuilding communities begin, the HuSh shelters come in.

Providing licences for its designs to non-governmental organisations across the world is how Extremis Technology hopes to increase its turnover to £1.5m by next year, up from between £30,000 and £40,000 so far.

The Green Brick Project is sponsoring the trip to India.

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