Entrepreneur gets ball rolling with new venture to help manufacturers boost exports
A NEW full-service technical marketing business to help global manufacturers increase exports has been launched by a Yorkshire entrepreneur.
Former laser measurement technology entrepreneur Elaine Ball, a chartered marketeer, has launched Elaine Ball Technical Marketing to support the UK’s technical manufacturing sector as part of moves to re-balance the UK economy and boost exports.
The new company, which is initially focusing on the global surveying, geospatial, satellite, oil & gas, marine, quarrying and mining sectors, has been launched after Ms Ball sold her share in York-based global laser measurement technology company Measurement Devices (MDL), where she rose from marketing manager to managing director, to global manufacturing giant Renishaw as part of a multi-million pound deal.
The sale followed 60% annual sales growth at MDL which used a network of international agents to sell the technology which allowed the business to break into the traffic and aviation sectors with laser distance meters.
Resulting sales saw the company almost triple turnover and staff grow from 26 in 2005 to 120 in 2012 as the company’s laser measurement devices, also used in quarrying, mining, civil engineering and marine GPS, were taken up worldwide.
Elaine Ball Technical Marketing, based in Harrogate, which has already attracted clients in New York, Toronto, Leeds and Scotland, will apply Elaine Ball’s international marketing and sales expertise to enable UK manufacturers to identify new UK and overseas markets and for international companies to break into new markets, including the UK, with support from a wide range of business-to-business marketing techniques.
Ms Ball said: “Globalisation, developments in e-commerce and the need to stimulate exporting are creating new opportunities for engineering and technical businesses worldwide.
“Elaine Ball Technical Marketing is a full-service marketing and communications business to help support these developments internationally, including helping more technical international businesses find partners in the UK and Europe.
“Ultimately I believe that these changes will also see more young people seek careers in engineering, manufacturing and technology because this is where sustainable GDP growth can be created.”
Elaine Ball Technical Marketing applies global marketing expertise backed by individual specialist businesses in graphic design, website construction, social media, PR, copywriting and photography all delivered through a single team.
