Member Article

Barrow’s SN Group named as UKTI Export Champions after securing major Canadian contract

A family-run Barrow business, established in 1935, has become the latest Cumbrian company to join UKTI’s Export Champions programme, following a hugely successful venture into overseas trade, which has made Canada one of its main export markets.

The Export Champions programme, now in its third year, is unique to the North West, and involves recruiting successful international firms to help companies new to exporting, offering peer to peer support in addition to the wide range of individually tailored professional services available from the UKTI team.

Barrow based SN Group is now one of 60 Export Champions for the North West. Other new Export Champions announced this week include Clark Door of Carlisle and Hawkshead Relish.

They will be joining existing champions HiDef Aerial Surveying Ltd, Playdale Playgrouds, Wax Lyrical and Totalpost Services to help other Cumbrian companies trade internationally.

The Export Champions are a key element of Export Week, which runs from 10th – 14th November, with a range of free events aimed at helping companies across the UK to make the most of their overseas potential.

It is a bi-annual national event which forms part of a drive to double UK exports to £1 trillion by 2020 and get 100,000 more companies exporting.

In the North West the week begins in Cumbria with a free event at Cartmel Racecourse, helping companies find a new market in the Gulf States.

UKTI North West Regional Director Clive Drinkwater is challenging companies to expand to one more market this year to help increase GDP in the North West by up to £2 billion.

SN Group comprises four companies – Scurrah Nassau Engineering, St Andrew’s Engineering, SN Technical Services and SN Recruitment Services. The core business is associated with the delivery of fabrication, mechanical and machining support contracts to the oil/gas, power generation and defence sectors. The group employs 48 staff between its facilities located in Barrow and Millom.

Managing Director Anthony Keen took the business over from his father three years ago, following a career with Centrica Energy. He rebranded as SN Group and has over the last two years pursued a growth strategy that has involved both acquisition (Sub-Tech Systems) and merger (Ropax Ltd).

The result of this development has seen SN Group turnover increase 139% in the year 2011-2012, and a further 180% in 2012-13.

With a view to continuing this trend, Mr Keen is focussing the business towards overseas trade, and despite being relatively new to exporting, SN Group has enjoyed significant success, with Mr Keen convinced that working with UKTI has significantly helped its growth strategy.

He said: “Our main market was UK defence, oil and gas and renewables, and our customer base was really in the UK. However, we had the opportunity to secure a contract in Canada supplying machine parts.

“We hadn’t exported before, and began to work with UKTI to access support in practical matters such as logistics, export licensing and freight forwarding. We also accessed some funding to go out to see our Canadian customer, which was invaluable.

“Thanks to UKTI’s support we have been able to build a stronger relationship with the client and our International Trade Adviser, Neil McCluskey, has been extremely helpful. When a customer is six or seven hours away it is good to have someone to turn to for advice and bounce ideas off.

“We are delighted to have been asked to join the Export Champions and support other businesses who want to increase their overseas trade. UKTI identified an area they could help us with, they got on and did this and I am pleased to be able to help them out in return.”

Having made the leap into one Export Market, SN Group are keen to repeat this success. The company is currently working with UKTI as it explores growth options for its commercial diving operation.

Mr Keen added: “It isn’t as daunting as you might think to trade abroad and we are now looking to expand into other markets.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .