
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
54 | ASCOTT ANALYTICAL EQUIPMENT LTD
British manufacturing in 2018 is much
less about large smokestack industries
and more about less visible, highly
specialised manufacturers like us who
are good at exploiting manufacturing
niches. A smaller business has one key
advantage over a bigger one – agility.
Specifically, it has the ability to react
to a changing market quickly and
adapt accordingly. Agility coupled with
innovation is a potent combination:
two prongs of an attack that will help
ensure a business prevails over its
competitors.
Exporting
In our field of corrosion test
equipment, in what is globally a highly
specialised niche market, there was
never any question as to whether
exporting was a good idea for us. It
was vital. No single market could give
us enough critical mass to support
the investment required. Our export
performance was a significant factor
in our winning The Manufacturers’
Organisation (EEF) 2017 National
Exporter of the Year Award, in
addition to two regional export awards
also in 2017. Too often exporting is
seen as the icing on the cake by British
business: I argue it should be the cake
itself. The reasons should be obvious:
1. Exporting is a fantastic way to
spread any risk of market/economic
downturns. Our exports to China
immunised us against the general
economic downturn during and
after the 2009 financial crisis.
2. Improved cash flow. Many are
wary of payment delays or worse
when dealing overseas, but in my
experience this is not borne out by
reality. Overseas payments can be
very prompt, providing the right
terms are agreed. There are a broad
range of bank instruments that
can also be used to secure prompt
payment.
3. Extending product life. Almost all
products have a life cycle, but this is
rarely the same in all markets at the
same time.
4. It’s great for Britain’s balance of
payments.
My biggest tip for successful exporting
is simple: try to put yourself in the
customer’s shoes and think about all
the extra reasons (compared with a UK
customer) that they might choose not
to buy from you. Address these issues,
whatever they may be:
»Language
»Culture
»Understanding
»Currency/price stability
»Confidence/trust
»Technical variation
If you do this well, then they will buy
from you.
As a business we’ve been prepared to
go the extra mile to develop globally.
During the past 30 years we’ve created
and now maintain catalogues in 20
languages. When we realised that
the US preferred a slightly different
size of catalogue, we created one
Ascott S1000iS salt spray
chamber
Too often
exporting is
seen as the
icing on the
cake by British
business:
Iargue it
should be the
cake itself
“
“