THE CREAM OF THE REGION'S EXPORTERS ARE HONOURED IN TOP AWARDS

Five West Midlands companies from diverse backgrounds and sectors have won top accolades for their export achievements.

They were all honoured at the West Midlands international trade awards ceremony, held on Friday 18 May at Thinktank at Millennium Point, Birmingham, for their success in a wide range of overseas markets.

These prestigious annual awards celebrate the achievements of firms that have been helped by UK Trade & Investment's flagship Passport scheme for new or novice exporters, or the Middle Market scheme for experienced exporters, or are members of the Midlands World Trade Forum (MWTF), the regional export forum.

A full list of the winners and runners-up follows:

Passport Exporter of the Year  

For companies that have made the best use of innovation, improving processes and/or products/services whilst entering new market(s).

WINNER: Astraware - Staffordshire

Develops, publishes and distributes games and entertainment software for Smartphones and PDAs, and provides games to a range of hardware manufacturers

Since Astraware started working with UK Trade & Investment two years ago, it has become the worldwide market leader for games and entertainment software within the Palm OS® and Windows Mobile® space. Support from the Passport programme enabled the firm to attend a range of key Microsoft events in the USA and Europe, and as a result Microsoft invited Astraware to become a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner - one of only 750 companies in the world to attain this status. Its annual turnover has increased by well over 50 per cent since 2005, thanks to new relationships forged from initiatives supported by UK Trade & Investment. In particular, the judging panel commended the company's approach to market entry by building up these relationships. Astraware was also praised for its product development, and for choosing tactics and growth rate with care.

"Passport has been extremely effective for Astraware, the assistance and encouragement to travel and meet new companies and research new opportunities has allowed us to expand our worldwide business and our overseas outlook," said Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware. "As a result of the direct help we've had from UK Trade & Investment, we've been able to increase our exports and connections, in particular in the Far East where it would have been very hard for us to work on our own. To be recognised for our success with this scheme is very gratifying, and a welcome bonus!"

Visit www.astraware.com

RUNNER-UP: Shaker UK - Birmingham 

Delivers training in bartending to the hospitality industry

With help from UK Trade & Investment, Shaker UK has set up two operations in South Africa within the past year, and is considering a third in Dubai. It has also developed a partnership with a local agency to train underprivileged South Africans. Over the next two years, the company expects to have trained many of the bartenders and hospitality students in Cape Town and Johannesburg, especially with the forthcoming World Cup in 2010. It is currently negotiating contracts with many of the South African hotel chains. The judges noted the novel way of developing partnerships to offer a range of niche services in South Africa, by working with another Birmingham training company with links to the market.

Managing director Adam Freeth said: "We are delighted at our achievements at this year's UK Trade & Investment awards and we credit the success of our business to our people who work tirelessly at ensuring that our service continues to exceed our clients' expectations. The support that we have had from UK Trade & Investment has been imperative to our existence in a foreign market, and the advice and "devil's advocate" approach from our international trade adviser Mark Sankey ensured that we took the necessary precautionary steps."

Visit www.shaker-uk.com

Small Exporter of the Year

For companies with fewer than five employees that can demonstrate growth overseas as a result of joining Passport.

WINNER: Arden Photonics - Birmingham 

Develops, manufactures and sells innovative products for the photonics industry

Supported by Passport, Arden Photonics, which has three employees, undertook repeated market visits to the USA to attend trade shows, visit potential customers and set up a network of representatives and distributors throughout the country. This determined approach has paid off, with Arden Photonics achieving significant sales in this market, and the company is now looking to export to Europe and the Far East.

Managing director David Robinson said: ""We are delighted to be chosen as the West Midlands' Small Exporter of the Year. At Arden Photonics we have been working hard to break in to the US market for some time now. It is very important for us to be successful overseas, and to have our achievement recognised in this way gives us the impetus to go on replicate this success in other overseas markets."

Visit www.ardenphotonics.com

RUNNER-UP: AKM Music - Warwickshire 

Offers background copyright free music for the media and marketing industry

The Passport programme enabled AKM Music to visit the main exhibition in its sector in Amsterdam, where the company made excellent contacts, many of whom became customers, and to develop its website with a music track download facility to allow overseas clients to place orders online. From four international markets in 2004, AKM Music now has regular business in 16 countries, including Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, the USA, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China, and export sales account for 20 per cent of its turnover.

Visit www.akmmusic.co.uk

Passport Training Award

For companies that can show how changing their skills base and/or behaviour has made a difference to their export business.

WINNER: Vanguard Foundry - Stourbridge

Manufacturer of high integrity ductile iron castings

Sales director Wayne Moseley did not have any export experience before the company joined the Passport programme. He is now driving Vanguard Foundry forward by diversifying into overseas markets, including a new account for castings business in the Netherlands, and supply chain solutions. By becoming involved with supply chain management, he is now able to offer the complete service to potential overseas customers. In addition, he has used his enterprising skills to source the machining, testing and assembly of the heat exchanger work sourced with Vanguard Foundry in 2006.

Works director David Howell said: "The training we obtained from Passport has already proved invaluable in obtaining new work from the Netherlands and will also allow us to export an increasing volume of our current capacity."

Visit www.vanguardfoundry.co.uk

RUNNER-UP: Shaker UK - Birmingham 

See "Passport Exporter of the Year" section for company profile

Middle Market Exporter of the Year

For Middle Market companies that have taken significant innovative and strategic steps to access new overseas markets.

WINNER: Forensic Pathways - Staffordshire

Designer and supplier of forensic equipment, training/consultancy and knowledge management services Forensic Pathways has been identified by the head of EUROPOL as the key solution provider in the fight against fraud, with the ability to provide a service that draws together databases across Europe. This service is also used in the detection of identity theft, in cold case reviews, and as a market analysis tool. Supported by the Middle Market Programme, Forensic Pathways spotted opportunities in Turkey, visited the market, and, working closely with the British Consulate in Istanbul, successfully identified a partner company, with whom it has now signed agreements. This strategy led to Forensic Pathways opening an office in Istanbul in January this year. As a result, the company is currently in negotiations to provide services to 14 leading organisations in Turkey, each of which represents significant export business.

Company CEO Deborah Leary said: "We are absolutely delighted to have won this award. With Turkey being the gateway between Europe and Asia, it was always seen as strategically important to Forensic Pathways. The Middle Market project has allowed Forensic Pathways to focus in on this market and now look to future development.

"I would like to thank the whole of the team at Forensic Pathways, TOPLU our partners in Istanbul, and the UK Trade & Investment team. The support from UK Trade & Investment was fantastic - from the consultancy advice with which we were provided, and the support we received from our international trade adviser Maggie Neale, through to the British Consulate in Istanbul, who provided not only a focused and thorough OMIS report, but also gave us outstanding support during our market visit.

"The whole process has proved to be a fantastic case study on how to approach a new market, and the effective use of UK Trade & Investment in providing support."

Visit www.forensic-pathways.com

RUNNER-UP: Valve Train Components - Staffordshire

Manufacturer of automotive components

Valve Train Components (VTC) joined the Middle Market programme with the aim of reaching India, a difficult market dominated by local suppliers with low cost products. With the influx of Western automotive manufacturers, which are VTC's customers in other countries, the company identified new opportunities and decided to showcase its technologies in India for the first time. Supported by the Middle Market programme, VTC visited the market and met a number of independent manufacturers, as well as some of the OEMs currently operating in India. As a result of this and a follow-up visit, VTC has successfully established business with five new customers, amounting to an additional five per cent of export sales.

Sales director Gary Brereton said: "India has always been a target market for VTC, and having been offered the opportunity to take part in the Middle Market programme, as well as being able to tap into the support it offered, was just the incentive we needed. India offers exciting opportunities for many sectors, and thanks to this new initiative VTC now has an excellent base from which to build new business with a number of major OEMs as well as domestic vehicle and engine manufacturers."

Visit www.valvetraincomponents.co.uk

MWTF Exporter of the Year 2007

For MWTF members whose drive, enthusiasm and belief in the benefits of international trade have led to export success.

WINNER: Hygan Products - Staffordshire

Manufacturer of synthetic sponge products for the ceramics industry

During the ten years that Hygan Products has been proactively visiting overseas markets, supported by UK Trade & Investment, it has increased the number of countries to which it exports from 12 to 60, and exports have increased from 19.4 per cent of its total sales in 1996, to 87.7 per cent last year. Its greatest successes have been in China and Taiwan, and it now supplies 70 per cent of all imported sponges in the Chinese ceramics industry. Over the past year, sales in the Middle East, South East Asia and Southern Asia, and in European markets such as France and Estonia, have also increased markedly, following recent market visits undertaken by the company.

Visit www.hygan.com

RUNNER-UP: Stan's Café - Birmingham

Creates original theatre shows and takes them on tour

Stan's Café broke into the US and Australian markets last year with its performance called Of All The People In The World, as well as extending its European reach. It headlined the Melbourne International Festival, one of the world's major arts festivals, and was described as "the undoubted hit of the festival". International tours enabled the company to double its turnover, take on a fifth member of staff and help support 11 freelance artists. In 2006, Stan's Café performed abroad for over 82 days, eclipsing every other company in its field nationally, and achieved significant international media coverage, rave reviews, excellent audience feedback, repeat bookings, recommendations, a new commission and countless unsolicited enquiries from overseas.

Visit www.stanscafe.co.uk

Doug Mahoney, international trade director for UK Trade & Investment in the West Midlands, said: "The range of products and services that our companies are selling around the globe, often in highly competitive environments, is extraordinary.

"I congratulate them all, together with the dedicated UK Trade & Investment international trade advisers who have supported them, and hope their success will inspire other firms in the region to embark on the path to exporting."  

Flybe provided each award category winner with a pair of tickets to any of its 26 destinations out of Birmingham International.

For more information about how UK Trade & Investment can help your business expand into new markets abroad, contact the international trade team at your local Chamber of Commerce, or visit www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

1.      UK Trade & Investment is the government organisation that provides integrated support services for UK companies engaged in overseas trade and foreign enterprises seeking to locate in the UK. It brings together the work of teams in British embassies and FCO posts overseas and government departments across Whitehall. In England, international trade support is coordinated by nine International Trade Directors working in partnership with each Regional Development Agency. UK Trade & Investment services are delivered locally through a network of International Trade Teams. The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements for local delivery of services. For more information visit the website www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

2.      Pictures can be downloaded from www.gnn.gov.uk . Further pictures are available from Joanna Kail at Government News Network West Midlands on 0121 352 5513.