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Tuesday, 14 Aug 2012


WFEL bridge in place

“UKTI DSO offers a great service. They always have their ear to the ground and know who to talk to”, Max Houghton Sales and Marketing Director at WFEL.

For easy reading and printing, download the full success story as a PDF.

WFEL bridge in place

WFEL bridge in place

Bridging the gap

Stockport-based WFEL and its range of rapidly-deployable bridges get traffic and people moving again when roads have been destroyed by military action or natural disasters.

The company supplies 40 different armies around the world with bridges.

The Swiss Army had used WFEL’s medium girder bridges for 40 years when, in 2010, it invited tenders for a new system. The company’s new dry support bridge won the £57 million contract, which came with a 100 per cent offset obligation. This meant that WFEL would have to secure purchases in the UK of £57 million worth of Swiss materials.

WFEL had had a relationship with UK Trade & Investment’s Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) for some years, and approached it for help. DSO’s Industrial Participation Unit responded by matching WFEL’s offset obligation with that of a Swiss company selling hydraulic drive systems in the UK, taking care of 94 per cent of WFEL’s obligation.

“The reciprocal agreement that DSO brokered for us was brilliantly helpful,” says Max Houghton, Sales and Marketing Director at WFEL. “Without this breakthrough, we would have had to hire more staff, expand our operations and open an offset office, which would have been a real struggle.”

Fast facts

Company: WFEL Ltd

Website: www.wfel.com

Helping you access international markets

Doing business in another country can be a challenge, so it’s good to know that UK Trade & Investment is there to help you succeed.

Through a range of unique services, including participation at selected trade fairs, overseas missions and providing bespoke market intelligence, UK Trade & Investment can help you crack foreign markets and quickly get to grips with regulations and business practices overseas.

UK Trade & Investment’s Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) is a flexible business tool, letting you use the services of our trade teams, located in our embassies, high commissions and consulates across the world, to benefit your business.

A service package could include::

  • Market, sector advice

  • Analysis of market entry strategies

  • Support during overseas visits

  • Identification of possible business partners