INTERNATIONAL TRADE Bringing the fight home
HELPING COMPANIES EXPLOIT OVERSEAS TRADE OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT: Mark Sankey T: 0121 450 4205
West Midlands is on top for exporting
Export of goods from the West Midlands region increased to £28.97 billion last year – up 0.8 per cent on 2014, the latest figures released by HM Revenue & Customs have revealed. They also show that West Midlands
remains the third largest exporting region in the country, behind South East and London, with 10.4 per cent of total exports. This is despite the fact that the number
of exporters in the region, which comprises West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire, fell slightly by 0.6 per cent to 4,779 between quarter four 2014 and quarter four 2015. The report shows a 14.6 per cent rise in
exports to the Middle East and North Africa, while in Sub-Saharan Africa there was a slight increase of 0.4 per cent in the amount of exports.
A Birmingham family firm is at the forefront of the global fight against infection in hospitals – thanks to the world’s first disposable curtain system.
Nechells-based Opal Health has already
landed a string of UK hospital contracts for its disposable curtains, which act as an antidote to infectious disease rather than more conventional cotton material. The Cato Street North firm, with two couples
at the helm in the shape of Gary and Denise Moore and Maurice and Victoria Laydon, is also on the export trail, with orders in the Middle East, Sweden, Gibraltar and Ireland. Maurice Laydon was involved in the design of
the world’s first disposable curtain products and the company has gone from strength to strength since its launch 11 years ago. Now the company is looking to bring
manufacture of its disposable curtains back in- house to Nechells after being forced to switch to China to compete on price with competitors. Business development manager Denise Moore
said: “Hospital infections are a worldwide issue and we are seeking to make a worldwide difference by tapping into the potential universal demand for our product. “The curtains that were being used – and still
are used in certain hospitals – are conventional cotton curtains. They have to be taken down and washed – it is quite labour-intensive – the nurses struggle to reach them and get them down and the risks of infection are much greater.” “We had to take the manufacturing out to
China to compete on price but we want to bring it back to the UK. We constantly need to make sure that we can get the orders over in time but bringing it back would create jobs here in Birmingham.” Denise paid tribute to the help received from
UK Trade and Investment. She said: “It was clear we needed a structured plan and guidance. We became active again internationally last June, when we got in contact with UK Trade and Investment and joined the Passport to Export Programme.”
The 2014 delegation arriving in Liverpool
Chamber gets ready for festival A
Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce delegation is preparing to make its mark at one of the world’s
leading business events. The International Festival for Business 2016 is
to be held in Liverpool over three weeks from 13 June to 1 July. Expected to attract more than 30,000
delegates from the UK and overseas, the festival aims to create a buzzing marketplace for companies to create connections and do deals. The three weeks revolve around a trio of
themes, including manufacturing, energy and environment and creative and digital. The festival includes a wide variety of events,
from one-to-one appointments with suppliers, buyers and investors to export and investment opportunities, legal, financial and marketing advice, sector-specific seminars, large scale networking receptions and inspiring talks from business leaders.
22 CHAMBERLINK APRIL 2016
‘The festival includes a wide variety of events, from one-to-one appointments with suppliers, buyers and investors to export and investment opportunities’
IFB2016 will showcase the UK as the go to
place to do business and build on the success of IFB2014, which attracted companies from 92 countries and facilitated export and investment deals worth more than £280 million. At the 2014 festival, the Chamber’s
international team staged a special Indian market event featuring a number of key experts on India. Delegates included a 26-strong party from the Institute of Asian Businesses. The 2016 festival will take place at Exhibition
Centre Liverpool, a state of the art event complex on the city’s waterfront. There will be a rich and varied cultural programme for delegates to enjoy while in Liverpool. Entry to the festival is free but to guarantee
admission delegates must register for the online Business Club, a bespoke business-matching service. The Business Club will also provide exclusive benefits during the run-up to the festival, including a range of free business- support services. Delivered by Liverpool Vision in partnership
with UK Trade and Investment, the GREAT Britain Campaign and with the support of the UK Government, IFB2016 will feature the GREAT British Showcase – an exhibition of UK innovation, technology, design and creativity – the Exporting is GREAT Export Hub and an interactive display of UK industry sectors and inward investment opportunities.
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