UKTI chief’s Cumbrian mission

EXPORT champion Clive Drinkwater has urged Cumbria’s manufacturers to seize the opportunity of international trade.

Mr Drinkwater, regional director for UK Trade and Investment in the North West, has spent the last two days in the county on a fact-finding tour, which saw him visit a number of businesses already doing well internationally.

These included Ulverston company Boardman Transformers which has grown its exports 10-fold in the last few years from £15,000 to £150,000, which is now 20% of total turnover.

Mr Drinkwater was full of praise for Boardman and the other Cumbrian firms he visited, and urged other companies to follow their lead.

He said “Although Cumbria is a predominantly rural area, there are some excellent businesses here, across the whole spectrum of sectors, from food and drink to creative arts, and from chemicals to ICT and specialist manufacturing, and we are committed to help these companies thrive both here and overseas.

“Boardman Transformers is an outstanding example of a Cumbrian company employing state of the art technology and offering high quality products and a first class service to remain competitive in a difficult environment.

“Its products are in demand worldwide and there is still plenty of potential to grow its business by expanding into new markets. Maintaining international trade links has never been more important – and fortunately the level of international trade support has never been greater.

“We are committed to helping businesses in Cumbria grow, and we would urge people to get in touch with our North West International Trade Team to see how we can help.” 

As well as visiting businesses in Ulverston, Mr Drinkwater met the bosses of two Carlisle companies, Clark Door and Bendalls Engineering.

A video of Mr Drinkwater’s Cumbrian trip is available at: http://vimeo.com/14232621