Firms to get £7m boost

Jun 26 2008 by Henryk Zientek, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

COMPANIES in Huddersfield are set to share in a near-£7m boost for exporters.

Development agency Yorkshire Forward has approved a £6.9m scheme to help firms in key industries begin exporting or expand existing overseas sales.

The money for the latest Targeted Export Support Scheme (Tess) will be delivered by the Government’s export support arm UK Trade and Investment.

So far, Tess schemes in the region have helped more than 1,200 companies increase exports sales by more than £100m.

Companies to benefit include translation services company Applied Language Solutions, of Armitage Bridge.

The company, which was founded in 2003, received cash from Tess to expand its network of overseas offices.

Applied Language Solutions now has nine offices across the world, including ones in Chicago, Chennai, Paris, Barcelona, Sofia and Guatemala City.

The new Tess scheme will offer grants to help firms with everything from identifying and visiting potential markets to modifying their websites for international customers.

A Yorkshire Forward spokeswoman said: “We have a large number of businesses operating in the right sectors for international trade, yet traditionally the region has one of the lowest levels of exports in the UK.

“In the current economic climate keeping all your eggs in one basket is risky.’’