Local firms offer international inspiration

Companies in Coventry and Warwickshire have been urged to take inspiration from two local businesses that are exporting across the globe – benefitting their own bottom line and the regional economy.

Lawton Tubes and Truede have been hailed as shining examples of how firms in the city and the county can take their goods and services around the world after they were chosen to appear on a panel at an International Trade Summit.

The event, which was staged by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and held at the Holiday Inn in Walsgrave, was sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group and supported by Independent Freight Solutions and GWCI.

It heard from a range of speakers on a variety of topics related to overseas trade and also included a live link into Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce & Industry and The British Bulgarian Business Association.

Liam Smyth, of the British Chambers of Commerce, talked through some of the fundamentals of export, before hosting a panel session with Robert Lawton, of Lawton Tubes, and Zeynep Turudi, of Truede.

Lawton Tubes, based in Torrington Avenue, sells copper tubes to 42 countries around the world, generating £26 million in export sales. It has previously picked up the Queen’s Award and King’s Award for Enterprise thanks to its international success.

Truede, which is based at the Coventry University Techno Centre, exports Turkish Delight into 35 countries, striking up partnerships with major retailers all over the world.

Robert said: “Businesses need to know about the possibilities of trading internationally. It’s massive for us and we can see the potential for further growth but we’ve had to work at it and go out to the markets and meet the people we’re doing business with.

“Also, there’s support available to you to make it easier. It’s a case of just making the most of that help and getting out there and doing it.”

Zeynep added: “The USA is a big market for us. I went out to visit different states and have repurposed the packaging to suit each market and to make it appealing to them.

“The UK is trusted as a country to do business with so if you have the right product or service, companies from all over the world will trade with you.”

The event also heard from David Weatherhead, of Lloyds Bank, on the kind of tools required to export and from Graham Welland, of GWCI, on the due diligence needed before entering global markets.

Andrew Faulkner of Lloyds Bank said “Export is a key aspect for many thriving businesses. Events like the International Trade Summit ensures businesses are aware of the resources available to help them find new markets, mitigate the risks associated with trade, manage cashflow and guarantee payments. Lloyds Bank is keen to assist new and established UK exporters.”

Ian Harrison, director of exports at the Department for Business & Trade, outlined some of the support on offer both at home and abroad before Jenny Hooper, of Independent Freight Solutions, urged the audience to utilise the help of a freight forwarder at the start of their exporting journey. Chris Woodhead, of DHL, spelled out the sheer size of the ecommerce market around the world which stood at £4.6 trillion in 2023.

Corin Crane, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The International Trade Summit showed just how important it is for more and more businesses to trade internationally –when that happens it is great news for the business and for us as a region.

“If we can start to tell the stories of companies such as Lawton Tubes and Truede who are out there doing this already we can hopefully inspire others to do the same.

“And, once inspired, they know that they can come to the Chamber who will support them and point them in the right direction of other businesses and organisations who can give them a helping hand too.”

For more information on international trade go to https://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/international-trade/