SPECIALIST cleaning firm Proventec saw sales slip and losses deepen in the six months to September 30.

But David Chestnutt, founder and chief executive of the Rodney Street-based company, says the results are in line with its five-year plan and pointed to potentially lucrative overseas deals and encouraging trials with the petro-chemical and food industries.

“The results don’t show financial success yet, but we think we could be getting close.”

Turnover fell from £8.2m to £8m and pre-tax losses jumped from £649,000 to £1m, despite slashing £750,000 from company costs.

Mr Chestnutt said the loss was due to overheads that came with the acquisition of the Frank and Cryojet companies developing new products for industrial markets through steam and dry ice systems, respectively.

But while health spending in the UK remains tight Mr Chestnutt said Proventec is in the “very final stages” of signing a deal with Malaysia’s largest hospital cleaning company.

He said the company’s core hospital cleaning technologies are also attracting interest from healthcare groups in India, the Middle East and Canada.

Mr Chestnutt said: “I don’t think you can read anything into anything, I don’t think there are trends any more. I think it is  wrong to say it is the end of the recession, but I think we have bottomed out.

“Cash is still tight, but we think we will battle through, providing there is some pick up in the second half.”