Trade mission unlocks Turkish market for Gannon Oils
A TRADE mission to Turkey is set to unlock further international success for Lancashire company Gannon Oils.
Gannon Oils based at Poulton-le-Fylde, manufactures and supplies oils,
lubricants and greases. It already exports to 68 overseas markets, but was keen to explore new opportunities, so attended the trade mission to Turkey.
Managing director Mark Gannon is now in talks with six companies there and the trip has unlocked opportunities for trading with a wider market in Eastern Asia.
He said: “We chose Turkey because it’s geographically well-placed. It’s on the border with a number of countries that we’d like to move into like Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, where there’s a huge market, with very good potential for our products.
“We had one or two contacts prior to the visit, but the majority were new. What you have to be aware of is that things don’t just happen overnight. We’ll have a dialogue with these companies by email and when we reach a decision about which is the right partner for us to develop, we’ll visit Turkey again for further talks.
“Enterprise Europe Network North West (EENW) and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) offered us the right platform to work from in order to get things moving.”
During the visit Mr Gannon also had the chance to talk to representatives from Turkish Airlines, a current business partner of Gannon Oils.
Gannon Oils already provides a range of aviation products to Turkish Airlines and hopes, as a result of the visit, that this offering could be expanded.
He said: “We manufacture a lot of niche products; that is often what gets us the export business in the first place. It could be anything from a box of grease for a specialist machine in Mexico to two barrels of a lubricant to the States.”
The visit, the first multi-sector mission organised jointly by EENW and UKTI, saw six businesses, as diverse as technology and training to packaging and legal services, forging bonds with the country. Some are now working closely with EENW to develop a longer-term relationship with Turkey, which has the sixth largest economy in Europe.
David Wright, European Business adviser at EENW, said: “This visit marked the start of a journey. It gave us the chance to explore where there might be opportunities to do business, and now we need to put in some hard work to ensure that we turn those opportunities into real, on-going relationships that will benefit both sides.”
Turkey is now regarded as a prime target for British businesses keen to export their products and services. With four-hour direct flights operating 14 times a week from Manchester to Istanbul, the country is accessible and ripe for development.
Businesses wanting more information on exporting to Europe can visit the website now, www.eenw.org, or speak to one of EENW’s expert advisers by calling 0844 259 8571.
