A soft landing

When Stakehill, designers of protective packing material, dunnage, wanted to regain its market foothold in Germany, UKT helped to find the right people.

Wigan-based Stakehill Ltd designs and makes dunnage, protective packing material used in the freight industry. The company supplies all major car manufacturers in the UK and Europe, as well as the white goods and construction industries.

Stakehill had had regular orders from Germany since 1980, but problems with its German agent led to a total loss of custom. In 2010, the company asked UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for help in finding new representation. UKTI responded with an Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) report that identified seven potential partners.

In April 2011 Stakehill engaged one which now trades as Stakehill Germany. By January 2012, the company had seen German revenue rise from zero to £120,000, and it hopes to make £300,000 by March 2013.

“UKTI weeded out the unsuitable candidates and narrowed our search down to just seven,” says Geoff Jackson, Managing Director at Stakehill. “This saved us a lot of time and meant we could be confident in our choice.”

Read the full case study detailing how UKTI helped Stakehill develop its business in Germany.

For further information about Stakehill please visit: www.stakehill.com.

Contacts

If you are interested in developing your business overseas please contact your local International Trade Advisor.