A SOFTWARE company that helped a mobile phone firm start trading with the loan of a computer has received its reward - a new contract.

Fone Logistics, formed four years ago, wanted to run System 21 software from JBA North-East so much that Durham-based specialist JBA handed over the hardware to get it started.

So the company has thanked them for the help over the years, and in 1999 awarded JBA £130,000 worth of contracts for e-commerce software.

This year the two companies will work together on a project to sell mobile phones over the Internet using Fone Logistics expertise in the marketplace and JBA's products and services.

JBA North-East account manager Geoff Cotterill said: "When Fone Logistics were launching the company they had two staff and a strong business plan.

"Since it was set up in 1996, the company has grown from zero turnover to £24m, employing 108 staff and recently moved to new premises.

"The firm is now on its fourth computer, but the software they started with was so flexible it accommodated the growth and has been transferred to each new machine."

Fone Logistics MD, Ian Gillespie, said the firm thinks of JBA as partners, not suppliers.