- 10 SMEs from across the country have been named Heathrow’s Global Britain Business Champions - SMEs that export their goods and services globally via the UK’s only hub airport
- The winners, which range from a Welsh cheese company to a Lincolnshire-based renewable energy business, are set to receive free promotion across the airport as part of a campaign to showcase some of the British businesses that use Heathrow to reach international markets
- Cebr research reveals that Heathrow alone has the potential to facilitate a £204 billion trade bonanza benefitting British businesses in every corner of the country
Heathrow Airport has unveiled the winners of its Global Britain Business Champions competition, celebrating some of the SMEs that export via the UK’s largest port.
The 10 winners, from across the UK, all export either their goods or services via Heathrow and demonstrate the best of British quality, innovation, technology, or design. The winners include Ormiston Wire, the West London based company that provided the wire for Heathrow’s past umbrella installation to raise awareness for neurodiversity. Their products have a wide range of uses, from surgical sutures to special effects for the film industry. Yorkshire-based rescue vehicle manufacturer, Angloco, is among this year’s winners. The company exports its specialist firefighting equipment to over 70 countries via the hub airport. Lincolnshire-based renewable energy business myenergi and the Welsh Snowdonia Cheese company are also some of this year’s champions.
Three of the Global Britain Business Champions - County Down-based packaging manufacturer, Premier Packaging Solutions; Redcar-based emulsions specialist, Micropore Technologies; and family-run Scottish woodcraft company, Reza Wood Designs - are also previous winners of Heathrow’s World of Opportunity grant. This was a joint initiative between Heathrow and the Department for International Trade, which provided grants to SMEs looking to fund trade missions to global markets of their choice.
As most of the cargo travelling through Heathrow is transported in the belly hold of passenger planes, international travel restrictions have severely impacted global supply chains and international trade. Heathrow’s August cargo volumes were 14 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels, while EU hubs, such as Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt were up by 9 and 6 per cent on 2019, respectively.
This campaign showcases some of the businesses that have kept the country trading throughout the pandemic and profiles some of the regions, nations and sectors that benefit from Heathrow’s connections as the UK’s only hub airport. The winners will receive increased exposure as part of the campaign and will be promoted on digital billboards around the airport.
Heathrow’s trade links are vital to businesses from a wide range of sectors, helping connect communities across the UK to each other and to global growth. These companies use air freight via Heathrow as it is faster, safer, and more reliable than other forms of transport. In fact, research from Cebr suggests that cargo transported through Heathrow includes some of Britain’s highest quality goods and services and is worth 80 times more per tonne than shipping freight, covering vital sectors.
Research conducted by Cebr this year shows the value of trade going through Heathrow in 2019 stood at approximately £188bn. Cebr forecast that by 2025 this could grow to over £204bn, creating economic opportunities that are key to achieving the Government’s own Global Britain ambitions and levelling up goals – as long as Britain’s vital trade links are restored and strengthened.
This boost has the potential to impact every part of the UK. Regions with a strong manufacturing base, such as the Midlands and North East, are likely to benefit most from future trade agreements with fast growing economies around the world. Scotland and Wales would see increased trade in agriculture, forestry and fishing.
Heathrow’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ross Baker, said: “Companies in every corner of the UK rely on Heathrow’s diverse route network to export their goods and services abroad. Their continued success is crucial to Britain’s post-pandemic economic recovery, as well as the Government’s own plans for levelling up every corner of the UK and creating a Global Britain. We are proud to support these businesses and hope to facilitate even more opportunities, but Government needs to safely streamline the framework for international travel. Doing this will help to safely restore many of the invaluable trade links that have been severed as a result of this pandemic.”
ENDS
Full list of winners
Angloco - A Yorkshire-based company which designs and builds special purpose firefighting and rescue vehicles. The company exports its specialist and custom equipment to over 70 countries worldwide, using Heathrow to transport its equipment safely, as well as to provide a vital transport link for its team of global field engineers who often need to reach customers quickly.
Carabarlife - A Barrow-in-Furness-based company specialising in the design, manufacture and supply of no-spill glass and drinks holders for the outdoor leisure market. Carabarlife supplies its products from the North West to a global market through Heathrow, using air freight to deliver their products safely and quickly to international customers. The company has plans to build on its Heathrow export links to expand further in the US.
Coltraco - A manufacturer of ultrasonic safety instruments for the naval and defence sectors, based in Wells, Somerset. The specialist and delicate nature of its equipment means it needs to be exported quickly and securely, with minimal days lost in transit – making Heathrow the ideal export partner. More than 90 per cent of Coltraco’s products are flown to 125 different countries via Heathrow.
Micropore Technologies - A solutions provider for specialist particles and emulsion manufacturing based in Redcar. Micropore exports to around 30 countries via Heathrow, taking advantage of the airport’s global connections. Located near Teesside airport, the company makes use of Heathrow’s direct regional connectivity, forging links between Teesside and the rest of the world. Micropore was also a 2017 World of Opportunity winner.
Myenergi - Myenergi designs a range of energy control products which aims to optimise renewable energy use at home. The Lincolnshire-based company exports to Norway, Australia, France, Italy, Ireland, Sweden and New Zealand. As a global business, it relies on Heathrow for the transportation of many of its goods, and to enable their workforce to stay connected to international subsidiaries and an ever-increasing customer base.
Ormiston Wire - West London-based Ormiston Wire develops specialist wiring. This specialist wiring has a wide range of uses, from delicate surgical sutures to special effects applications for the film industry and even a past umbrella installation at Heathrow to raise awareness for neurodiversity. The company exports worldwide to Australia, Africa, the US and Europe. Given Ormiston’s specialist products are lightweight, air freight through Heathrow is the most cost-effective and time-efficient way to reach its international customers.
Premier Packaging Solutions – Based in County Down, Northern Ireland, Premier Packaging Solutions is a manufacturer of bespoke and eco-friendly packaging for high-end restaurants and retailers. The company exports mostly through air freight, using Heathrow to reach over 33 countries - including Australia, Canada and New Zealand - as well as other regions across the UK, trusting Heathrow to ensure their luxury goods arrive quickly. Premier Packaging Solutions was a World of Opportunity winner in 2018, a joint initiative between Heathrow and the Department for International Trade to support SMEs’ exporting ambitions with grant funding.
Reza Wood Designs - Reza Wood is a family-run Scottish woodcraft company that transforms recycled oak scotch whisky barrels into one-of-a-kind gifts and furniture pieces. Reza Wood exports through Heathrow so its customers in the US, Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Australia can receive their orders quickly and safely. It is also looking to use Heathrow to expand into Asia Pacific markets. Reza Wood Designs was also a 2018 World of Opportunity winner.
Snowdonia Cheese Company – An award-winning luxury Welsh cheese company, based in North Wales, creates a luxury range of Welsh cheeses, and exports them to over 25 countries. The company needs to move its food items quickly, making air freight via Heathrow the best option for some far-flung destinations such as Hong Kong and Singapore, opening up significant opportunities for the business.
Sonardyne - A Farnborough-based company, which designs and manufactures maritime technologies and systems for the offshore energy, defence and science sectors. The company exports its delicate and expensive equipment to between 20-50 countries a year, including the US, Canada, Singapore and Japan. Sonardyne uses Heathrow to reach its international customer base safely, often under pressure from tight commercial or operational deadlines.
For further information please contact: Charles Harbord charlie.harbord@portland-communications.com
About Heathrow
Heathrow is the UK’s only hub airport and one of the world’s top international aviation hubs. The airport is Britain’s largest cargo port, helping to drive British trade growth and assisting the country in the fight against COVID-19. Heathrow’s aim is to provide passengers with the best airport service in the world, and we’re delighted to have been voted one of the world’s top ten airports in the 2021 Skytrax Awards. Heathrow has been awarded the “Best Airport in Western Europe” for the sixth year, and became the only UK airport to win the COVID-19 Airport Excellence Award in recognition of the airport’s efforts to keep our passengers and colleagues safe during the pandemic. Heathrow has passed the CAA's COVID-19 Security Assurance Scheme and has secured the Airport Health Accreditation from Airports Council International.
