Feature

The Lanarkshire Export Partnership was set up by South and North Lanarkshire Councils and Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire to help local businesses with exporting.

It does this by providing a number of free advisory services to aid Lanarkshire companies on the road to exporting success. These include providing export information, developing export skills and advice on export implementation. It will:

• provide export information: the why, where, how and when of internationalisation to help your company identify and access information that is accurate, timeous and represents good value for money;
• help a company develop exporting skills: a full range of export training programmes are available and can include language skills, export documentation and consultancy support;
• help the company with export implementation: supporting companies who have developed an export strategy and are ready to enter new markets.

The Partnership's services to businesses entering new export marketts include giving advise on:

• market research and information
• country briefings
• overseas opportunity sourcing
• business shop network
• export training programmes
• language training and cultural issues
• export market planning and consultancy
• exhibitions and missions
• overseas in-market support

Jim Martin, South Lanarkshire Council's representative with the Lanarkshire Export Partnership, said: "We are aware that many companies find the thought of exporting abroad daunting. That's where the Partnership comes in. We will take your company through all the steps it needs to go through to be a successful exporter. The best bit is that interested companies have nothing to lose by giving us a call as our services are free!"

The Partnership recently linked in with the 12 other Scottish Export Partnerships to launch the 'Trade Scotland' website - www.trade-scotland.org.uk . The site features information on services provided by the Partnerships including training courses, trade missions and financial assistance.

Further assistance given by Lanarkshire Export Partnership includes assisting new exporters by introducing them to the innovative new Market Explorer programme. Focussing on the more accessible and 'export friendly' European countries, the programme allows potential exporters the opportunity of an export 'taster' in places such as the Netherlands, Scandanavia and the Republic of Ireland. For more information on Market Explorer, contact Alan Fruish on 01698 745454.

The Partnership also has links with 14 overseas offices run by Scottish Trade International. These offices, which stretch from the Europe and the USA to the continents of Africa and Asia, offer intensive support to Scottish exporters.

A number of Lanarkshire companies have already taken advantage of the Partnership?s help when it comes to world trade fairs. At the beginning of this year, five Lanarkshire companies - Duncan?s of Scotland, Grand Productions, Gardiner?s of Scotland, Border Biscuits and Tunnocks of Uddingston - were represented at the ISM Cologne fair for the sweet and confectionary industry. In April, ten Scottish companies visited the Analytica 2000 science fair in Munich, including Lanarkshire companies EA Biotech,

Link Technologies, Thistle Scientific and Crawford Scientific. Further afield and six Lanarkshire companies exhibited at the National Manufacturing Week in Chicago. Gael Quality, Kelburn Engineering, Molson Engineering, McCrohon Stamp & Die Engineering, E G Steel & Company Ltd and Alexander Insburg were all represented at the event.

For more information, contact Lanarkshire Export Partnership on 01698 745454

Either Allan Fruish or Lorraine Donnelly

Or:

Jim Martin, South Lanarkshire Council tel. 01698 455132

Isobel Long, North Lanarkshire Council tel. 01236 616287

Business South Lanarkshire - Autumn 2000

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