HUDDERSFIELD area firms are jetting off to the Gulf States in a bid to boost exports.
Four businesses from the district are among 13 companies from across Yorkshire taking part in a major trade mission to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia led by the Government’s export support arm UK Trade and Investment.
Representatives of Thermilate, Alfran UK, Tyreseal International and the Creative Industries Development Agency will join the party, which flew out yesterday.
Thermilate, based at the Media Centre in Northumberland Street, is seeking contracts to supply its insulating paint to customers in the Gulf States.
The paints are used in hot countries on outside surfaces of buildings to reflect heat out and keep the inside of the buildings cooler, saving up to 40% of the energy normally used to keep cool.
Training and business support organisations Alfran, based in Holmfirth, and the Creative Industries Development Agency, which also operates from the media centre, are seeking to extend their services to the region.
And Tyreseal International, which has its headquarters in Chapel Hill, is looking to expand sales of its tyre sealant, which mends punctures and reduces tyre wear and tear.
A spokesman for the company said the Middle East presented big potential for the company to set up distributorships and manufacturing sites.
Other companies on the trip include Bradford-based halal baby foods firm Mumtaz Food Industries; Summit Training, of Halifax; and Leeds-based riding boots and saddles business Mirza Shaharyar Baig Group.
The mission is being led by Brian Aungiers, UKTI trade adviser in West Yorkshire and an expert in doing business in the Gulf. It follows a successful trade trip to the same markets last April.
Mr Aungiers said: “Business in the Gulf is growing and there are opportunities opening up right now for our region’s companies to start doing business out there.
“Joining a trade mission is the best way to get a feeling for the markets and business culture in the Gulf. It’s an excellent introduction which will go hand in hand with the other forms of support and advice available from UKTI.”
Neil Wilson, deputy head of the British trade office in the region, will accompany the mission.
He said: “Last year British exports to the Gulf amounted to some £7bn. Growth is forecast at 5%. The Gulf is experiencing boom economic conditions similar to China and India.”
He added: “The Gulf remains one of the most dynamic and potentially rewarding regions in which to do business and one in which British firms are welcomed, respected and trusted.”
