UKTi Trade Mission Support

A Background

Mtech was established in 1995 and is a specialist construction consultancy working with Offsite and MMC technologies. Operating throughout the whole construction supply chain, they identify for manufacturing clients the most cost effective ways to make, and construction clients to incorporate, new and innovative forms of technology to construction projects. Their client base includes many International companies: Marriot and Hilton Hotels, McDonalds Restaurants Ltd., Corus, the Malaysian Government, UK Government (dept for children, schools and families), and many more.

Bob Mears, Head of Sales & Marketing, has been the driving force behind the company’s promotion overseas and the collaborations between Mtech and UKTi. Here he explains how the process has evolved:

Early in 2009, we identified that between 30 and 40% of the hits on our website were from overseas, and although we had previously worked successfully with overseas clients, we had never actively promoted ourselves into these markets.

Towards the end of that year, Mtech became a member of the overseas business specialist, British Expertise and were quite quickly introduced to UKTi, (UK Trade & Investment) and the possibilities that were available for funding and support generally of overseas business visits.

As a relatively small organisation, Mtech had limited language skills, so decided to concentrate efforts in countries where English was the main business language. To date, UKTi have helped facilitate visits to India, Canada, Portugal, Abu Dhabi (although a certain Icelandic volcano did prevent that one actually taking place!) and Australia, which between them have helped the company secure some £100 000 worth of additional business.

Ironically, the Australia visit to Enviro 2010 only came about because of the aborted trip to Abu Dhabi, but was a logical follow on for Mtech, to a visit made to Perth in April, where the company had been invited to speak at a Mining and Modular Buildings Conference.

The Enviro 2010 visit began in Sydney, where UKTi facilitated a number of briefings and networking events. Representatives from Australian business, government bodies and the media had been invited to attend and meet with potential UK partners, but there was also sufficient time to allow for individual meetings, which could be arranged by UKTi or companies themselves. It was during this time that Mtech established contact with the organisation who has subsequently become a client. The organisation (who cannot be named at the moment for reasons of confidentiality), are in the process of developing a new modular building system for the Australian market, had had identified the need for detailed information about how this type of technology was being applied in the UK, where it had much more history and also potential supply partners.

The result of this meeting and subsequent conversations, was a modest order, which included an Mtech hosted investigative visit by the client to the UK.

Back to Australia, where the group then moved onto Melbourne where the three day Enviro 2010 conference was taking place, and once again there was plenty of opportunity to meet, network and make independent contact with potential clients.

Our attendance as part of the “British Contingent” at the conference was as well organised as every other element of the trip, and indeed all the other trips which UKTi have had a hand in, be it directly or indirectly, that Mtech have been part of.

So what happens now for the company’s overseas business? In November, UKTi are enabling two visits for Mtech. The first is a return trip to Australia to carry on the work already begun this year, from which we hope to secure some more business, but also create interest from new prospects.

The second is Mtechs first foray into promoting ourselves to the North American market as we are joining a Trade Mission to New York, which in itself is enabling a side visit to the Greenbuild exhibition in Chicago, where we hope to spread the word even wider afield, that UK companies have the experience, expertise and skill set to work beyond the British coastline.