Cornwall focused on exports

UKTI’s Globalisation project in Cornwall helps Focus Educational Software enter new markets.

Focus Educational Software, based in Truro, is a BETT Award winning publisher of 22 uniquely interactive digital learning resources for primary and secondary education.

Focus learning resources are used by 70% of secondary schools in the UK and the company has a growing presence in primary schools.

The company specialises in science and design technology and also has a range of cross-curricular titles. These include the award winning Focus on Bee-Bot and Focus on Climate Change: Energy and Environment programs.

In addition to the Focus range of PC application based programmes, the company has an eLearning server allowing users access to resources anywhere in the world 24/7.

Managing Director Dave Hodge says: ‘Our principal market is the UK, but increasingly we are also trading overseas as digital learning is now a hot topic in most developed countries worldwide.’

The company completed the UKTI ‘Passport to Export’ scheme in 2006. Dave says: ‘Passport to Export helped open our eyes to the huge potential of export and helped us build the skills and knowledge we needed to exploit the opportunity.

‘With support from UKTI EMRS scheme we visited a trade show in Philadelphia in 2005 and this has led to some quite substantial deals. For example, we won a contract with K’NEX Education to develop bespoke software to go with their construction kits. This resource has since been supplied to Primary schools throughout the UK and features in the Tesco Computers for Schools scheme.

Focus Educational is actively targeting EU tenders and has recently completed a Ministry of Education contract to supply Focus on Climate Change software to all schools in Cyprus and Science titles in Malta.

Dave continues: ‘Since the start of the UKTI Globalisation Project in 2009, we have benefitted from matched funding in the shape of Business Development Vouchers. These have allowed us to develop an online presence for web delivery of our products and also adapt resources for the education market in the Gulf Region by translating four of our products into Arabic.

Armed with these great new products, we are about to go to the Gulf Educational Supplies and Solutions show in Dubai. The UKTI Globalisation Project has also helped towards the funding of artwork production for banners, brochures and other materials in Arabic for our display stand at the exhibition. We are expecting that this major exhibition will open new doors for us and lead to significant further orders.’

‘We have also had help from the UKTI Globalisation Project with matched funding towards translating our products into Spanish. The UK is a world leader in the development of digital learning materials and so there is a growing export market as other countries also start to take the potential of digital learning seriously. Buyers in other countries are looking towards the UK for supply, as we are the market leaders.

EU funding is currently being used to stimulate the market for digital learning in some parts of Europe and this has led to opportunities for us in Spain, Malta and Cyprus.’

Dave continues: ‘With the help of UKTI, we have also sent some advertising materials out to New Zealand and UKTI are filtering some warm sales leads for us there.’

‘We are a small company and it is a balancing act to juggle our time and resources to exploit overseas markets, without taking our eye off the ball in relation to our primary market in the UK. However, overseas markets are growing fast for us. They now account for 25% of our total turnover. It is tempting to think that all you have to do is leap on an aeroplane and go overseas and that the sales will just somehow happen. Of course, in reality it is not like that and building overseas trade takes time and planning.

‘With the help of UKTI, we have been able to develop the skills and orientation we need to ‘think global’ and have been able to build our business significantly as a result.’

Contacts

If you are based in the South West region and are interested in developing your business overseas please contact:

UKTI South West International trade Team

Tel: +(0)845 60 60 969

Email: enquiries@uktisouthwest.org

For more information about the UKTI Globalisation Project in Cornwall contact:

Lenna Bithell

Tel: 0845 6023657 (ext 8205)