Tag: Business and Trade Department

• Seven SMEs announced as winners of the inaugural Made in the UK, Sold to the World awards
• Awards celebrate businesses with fantastic international trading achievements – helping to grow the UK economy
• First-ever winners include SMEs operating across the UK, such as Little Moons, Scanning Pens and ScotlandShop

The first-ever recipients of the Made in the UK, Sold to the World awards have been announced today (Wednesday 17 May), celebrating the exporting success of small businesses across the UK.

Exporters support jobs, pay higher wages and help deliver on the government’s priority to grow our economy, and these inaugural awards highlight the vital contribution small businesses make to the UK.

Winners include Little Moons who produce colourful ice cream bites wrapped in ‘mochi’ dough which have become a mainstay of major supermarkets in the UK. Awarded in the agriculture, food and drink category, the business exports to 28 countries including Australia, the Middle East and mainland Europe.

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

We’re proud of our British exporters and these Awards rightly highlight some fantastic businesses punching above their weight and selling UK-made products around the world. I hope they serve as inspiration to others looking to get onto the exporting ladder.

The winning businesses have been drawn from seven sectors: consumer goods, education, agriculture, food and drink, creative, financial and professional services, digital and manufacturing.

In the consumer award category, ScotlandShop were recognised for their high-quality tartan clothing, fabrics and home accessories, made to order. The business has grown from start-up to £2.4m sales in 2022 and employs 20 people in the UK and 2 in the USA.

Awardees also include those at the cutting-edge of technology, such as Scanning Pens, which won the education award. The company promotes and distributes the most innovative, award-winning assistive reading technology on the market. Their pens are being sold in over 100 countries, including Australia, Canada, United States, Asia and Europe.

Within each category three additional businesses were also awarded highly commended status for their inspiring business stories and exporting prowess.

A high number of winning and highly commended businesses are also DBT Export Champions, who help to promote the benefits of exporting and encourage other companies across the UK to consider selling to overseas markets.

Marco Forgione, Director General of the Institute of Export & International Trade:

It is a great honour for IOE&IT to partner with DBT in this exciting new award programme. As a judge of the inaugural Made in the UK, Sold to the World awards, I had the pleasure to see the depth of talent, entrepreneurial spirit and outstanding business success which this year’s competition showcased. It was very difficult to choose just one winner in each category.

This competition is further proof that international trade is a force for good, and that British goods and services are hugely valued overseas. The ingenuity of these winners should act as a catalyst to encourage more British businesses to explore new export markets. We look forward to welcoming all the winners and highly commended businesses in this year’s awards as members of the Institute of Export & International Trade and we will continue to work closely with DBT to champion the amazing work being undertaken by British businesses trading across the world.

In 2021, DBT launched the ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ campaign to celebrate exporting success from across the UK and tell businesses’ stories. The new awards programme will build on this to further recognise and celebrate the global trading success of SMEs from across the UK.

Winning businesses will receive a digital badge and physical certificate and have promotional activity across DBT channels, including individual profiles to share their export success. They will also be visited by a DBT official and receive an Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) complimentary business membership for one year.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

This year’s winners include:

• Agri, Food and Drink – Little Moons, London

Little Moons are the bright, colourful, bite-sized balls of artisan gelato wrapped in soft-sweet ‘mochi’ dough.​ Little Moons are now available in 28 countries including Australia, the Middle East and mainland Europe.​

• Consumer Goods – ScotlandShop, Berwickshire

ScotlandShop allows people to demonstrate and celebrate their Scottish heritage with high quality tartan clothing, fabrics and home accessories made to order, in their clan’s very own tartan. The business has grown from start-up to £2.4m sales in 2022 and employs 20 people in the UK and 2 in the USA.

• Creative – Crowd, Bournemouth

Crowd is an independent global marketing agency that specialises in the creation and delivery of environmentally sustainable product and service promotions. The business exports British creativity and innovation and services clients in Africa, China, Europe, Middle East, North America and South Asia. ​

• Digital – ONYX Insight, Nottingham

ONYX Insight is a data and engineering business which helps the wind industry work better and smarter to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.​ ONYX currently monitors over 10,500 wind turbines in 30 countries, operating from seven global offices. It holds two Queen’s Awards for innovation and international trade.​

• Education – Scanning Pens, Wiltshire

Scanning Pens is a promoter and distributor of the most innovative, award-winning assistive reading technology on the market. Their pens are being sold in over 100 countries, including Australia, Canada, United States, Asia and Europe.

• Financial and Professional Services – Worldwide Recruitment Solutions, Altrinham

Worldwide Recruitment Solutions supply and mobilise international talent to Renewable Energy, Oil and Gas, offshore Marine projects worldwide.​ In 2022, they exported their recruitment services to more than 40 countries.

• Manufacturing – Concrete Canvas, Pontyclun

Concrete Canvas Ltd (CC Ltd) produces a flexible, concrete impregnated fabric that hardens on hydration to form a thin, durable, waterproof and fire-resistant concrete layer. The business sells in over 80 countries worldwide and 85% of their sales are through exports.

This year’s Highly Commended businesses are:

• Agriculture Food and Drink: Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) – Edinburgh, Fever Tree Drinks Ltd – London, Xelect – St Andrews
• Consumer Goods: Ettinger – London, Hornby Hobbies Ltd – Margate, EXEAT – Tisbury
• Creative: Warwick Music Group – Warwick, The Book Shelf Ltd – Birmingham, Omnisonic International Ltd – Bournemouth
• Digital: Bexprt Limited – Wokingham, Squire Technologies – Dorchester, NetSupport – Peterborough
• Education: m2r Education – Wakefield, TecQuipment – Nottingham, The TEFL Org – Inverness
• Financial and Professional Services: Direct Access Consultancy Ltd – Nantwich, EBS Ltd – Warwick, Turnkey Consulting – London
• Manufacturing: Brandauer – Birmingham, Prima Dental – Gloucester, LGM Products Ltd – Fleet

Switzerland and the United Kingdom are pleased to announce the start of negotiations for an enhanced Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between our countries. Building on the long history of close relations and shared values of our two countries, the enhanced FTA will improve on the arrangements in our current Trade Agreement signed in February 2019.

Negotiations present an opportunity to deepen and strengthen the important and valuable UK-Switzerland trade relationship for the benefit of a more prosperous future for two like-minded European nations.

Switzerland and the United Kingdom are both committed to achieving an ambitious agreement which reflects the 21st Century trading environment and delivers commercially meaningful opportunities in services and goods. A modern, comprehensive FTA will strengthen commitments to trade in areas including services, intellectual property rights, investment flows and digital trade, all of which are not included in our current agreement.

A new FTA will provide long-term legal certainty for business. It will enhance our Trade Agreement from 2019 and build on recent successes in our bilateral trading relations such as the extended Services Mobility Agreement and the Mutual Recognition Agreement in relation to Conformity Assessment, agreed last year. It will also reflect and complement our ongoing dialogues and areas of collaboration. It will further strengthen economic relations between Switzerland and the United Kingdom and provide an excellent basis for future cooperation opportunities, particularly on areas where both our countries are mutual leaders such as innovative research and development.

Switzerland’s and the United Kingdom’s negotiation teams have been instructed to hold the first official round of negotiations in London this May, and a second round in the autumn. This will enable significant progress towards our ambition to agree a new Free Trade Agreement.

• Reducing burdensome red tape and tailoring rules to suit the UK economy could save employers around £1 billion a year
• First of a series of announcements taking advantage of the UK’s post-Brexit regulatory freedoms, delivering on our promise to grow the economy

The first dynamic package of deregulatory reforms to grow the economy, cut costs for businesses and support consumers was unveiled today.

Taking advantage of post-Brexit freedoms, the Government will remove unnecessary red tape and regulatory burdens, ensuring rules and regulation for British businesses is proportionate and takes into consideration wider impacts on consumers, innovation and competition – as well as direct costs.

Today’s package is the first of a series of deregulation announcements expected this year and is focused on delivering benefits to business. The reduced reporting requirements could save employers over £1 billion per year.

This will help to deliver on the Government’s priority to grow the economy and is a down payment on the UK’s ambition to have one of the most innovative and agile regulatory regimes in the world.

Today’s package includes:

• Reducing the business burden. We will reduce time-consuming and disproportionate reporting requirements for specific elements of the Working Time Regulations, while retaining the 48-hour week requirement and upholding our world leading employment standards. This could save employers around £1bn a year. We are also simplifying regulations that apply when a business transfers to a new owner.
• Ensuring regulation is, by default, the last rather than first response of Government by reforming the Better Regulation Framework. The new, smarter framework will ensure future regulation of our changing economy is streamlined, minimises business burdens, and puts forward-looking regulation at the heart of Government decisions.
• Improving regulators’ focus on economic growth by ensuring regulatory action is taken only when it is needed, and any action take is proportionate. Following Professor Dame Angela McLean’s review of the regulators’ Growth Duty, the government intends to consult on refreshed guidance on how regulators deliver their growth duties. The government will also consider the merits of commencing statutory reporting and how best to promote growth with utilities regulators, who are currently not in scope of the Growth Duty.
• Promoting competition and productivity in the workplace by limiting the length of non-compete clauses to three months, providing more flexibility for up to 5 million UK workers to join a competitor or start up a rival business after they have left a position. The change will also provide a boost to the wider UK economy, supporting employers to grow their businesses and increase productivity by widening the talent pool and improving the quality of candidates they can hire.
• Stimulating innovation, investment and growth by announcing two strategic policy statements to steer our regulators. We are today publishing the first of these statements for consultation, on energy policy, which will be followed soon after by the Government’s strategic steer to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Over the past few decades, we have seen a build-up of regulation in every aspect of our lives. Businesses have faced hundreds of new rules, costing time and money to read and comply with thousands of pages of regulations.

These rules make it more expensive and harder for startups to enter the market or to scale up and grow. They have reduced competition, raised prices and reduced innovation, leaving consumers worse off and UK firms less competitive in global markets.

Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch said:

I have listened to the concerns of business of all sizes and have made it a priority to tackle the red tape that holds back UK firms, reduces their competitiveness in global markets and hampers their growth.

We are taking back control of our laws after Brexit, reducing and improving regulation and giving businesses the freedom to do what they do best – sell innovative products, create jobs and grow the economy.

Tina McKenzie, Policy Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said:

For years and under all Governments, well-meaning Ministers have reached to create new regulations in response to issues.  This is then repeated under the next set of Ministers – leaving us with a high cumulative burden for business to deal with.

We are pleased to see a change of approach here, moving away from regulation as a first resort, alongside a reduction in administrative requirements that divert time away from running a business, and more of a focus for regulators on stimulating economic growth.

We’ve already taken advantage of our new status as a sovereign and independent nation. Among other things, we have set our own tariff regime via the UK Global Tariff to cut tariffs so we can reduce prices for UK consumers; we’ve introduced the UKCA marking to improve goods regulation and we will pass the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill to set a new, less burdensome approach than the GDPR.

Our Edinburgh Reforms of UK financial services include over 30 regulatory reforms to unlock investment and turbocharge growth in towns and cities across the UK.

Our Retained EU Law Bill, which is currently passing through parliament, will end the special status of retained EU law (REUL) by the end of 2023 ensuring that, for the first time in a generation, the UK’s statute book will not include reference to the supremacy of EU law or EU legal principles.

We have the unique opportunity to look again at these regulations and decide if they’re right for our economy, if we can scrap them, or if we can reform and improve them and help spur economic growth.

To ensure that Government can focus on delivering more reform of REUL, to a faster timetable, we are amending the REUL Bill to be clear which laws we intend to revoke at the end of this year. This will also provide certainty to business by making clear which regulations will be removed from our statute book.

We will retain the powers that allow us to continue to amend EU laws, so more complex regulation can still be revoked or reformed after proper assessment and consultation.

The reforms we are announcing today are not just for central Government, we will also provide a clear signal to our regulators that driving innovation, investment and growth should be at the heart of what our regulators do.

Life-saving emergency services will benefit from greener zero-emission vehicles, thanks to £77 million in new funding for projects developing clean transport technologies, announced today.

The HYER POWER project, to develop a hydrogen fuel-cell range extender for specialist electric vehicles in demanding roles like fire engines and ambulances, is just one of seven pieces of work across the UK that are getting joint Government and industry backing.

The schemes, which range from work on battery-powered buses, to a hydrogen-powered version of the iconic Ford Transit van, will support more than 4,400 jobs across the UK over the next decade, from Bath to Ballymena.

Investing in the development of cutting-edge technologies in key industries will help deliver on the government’s priority to grow the UK economy.

Industry and Economic Security Minister Nusrat Ghani said:

Zero-emission cars, vans and taxis are increasingly common, but this cutting-edge work is going to mean clean, green vehicles designed and built in the UK can increasingly take on the toughest jobs too, from life-saving emergency services, to haulage and public transport.

Our automotive industry keeps setting the pace globally and seizing the potential of new technologies. Today’s multi-million-pound boost will help them stay ahead of international competition, while delivering on our priority to grow the economy and support high-quality jobs.

The funding has been awarded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) Collaborative Research and Development programme, in support of ambitions to build an end-to-end supply chain for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the UK. £38.4 million of this investment comes from Government, backed by a further £38.7 million from the automobile industry – taking today’s total to just over £77 million.

Joint government and industry funding winners are:

• HYER POWER – ULEMCO Ltd £7.9 million backing to develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender for electric vehicles used for specialised and challenging purposes, such as ambulances, fire engines and street sweepers.
• HEIDI – Bramble Energy Ltd £12.7 million for work to demonstrate a novel fuel cell/battery hybrid powertrain on a double-decker bus, that will be cheaper than the equivalents currently available for large vehicles.
• FCVGEN2.0 – Ford Motor Company Ltd £16.3 million awarded to design and develop a hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of the Ford Transit van, which will initially be produced at Ford Dagenham.
• NEXTGENZEBS – Wrightbus £12.7 million backing for new, market-leading technology to underpin battery and fuel cell electric buses.
• EleVAIT – JLR Receiving £12.6 million to design and develop technology for inverters – a key component in electric vehicles, supporting the continued growth of a UK-based electric vehicle supply chain.
• CAVENDISH – BorgWarner Awarded £9.8 million for work to speed up the rollout of hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines, as an alternative to diesel, for use in heavy-duty settings.
• ZETTA – Leyland Trucks Ltd A £5.1 million investment. By better use of automation and advanced testing, Leyland Trucks aim to increase productivity and step up their production of battery electric trucks.

Chief Executive at the APC Ian Constance said:

Investment into these seven collaborative projects continues the work that the UK does very well. Research and development, building the automotive supply chain, pushing the boundaries of clean technology for the road, whilst securing jobs across the country. I’m pleased to have well-known brand names among this £77 million funding round through the APC, as well as innovative SMEs bringing through exciting new developments.

Today’s announcement comes on top of funding also being invested by the government through the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to develop a high-value end-to-end electrified automotive supply chain in the UK.

This includes unlocking private investment in gigafactories, battery material supply chains, motors, power electronics, and fuel cell systems. The ATF is being delivered by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with the APC.

The government has committed a record £211 million to battery research and innovation through the Faraday Battery Challenge, to help the sector deliver 100,000 jobs in battery gigafactories and the battery supply chain by 2040. The funding will be delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) with support from the Faraday Institution, Innovate UK and the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC).

The UK Hydrogen Strategy sets out how government, working with industry, is aiming to develop 10GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030, for use across the economy. This forms a part of the British energy security strategy for delivering secure, clean and affordable British energy for the long term.

Background

EleVAIT – JLR

£6.3 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.6 million. This research project will explore and develop technology for inverters – a key component in electric vehicles. As well as developing a best-in-class product, this work will support the growth of a UK supply chain in components for electric vehicles.

Project partners include: University of Bristol, Customer Interconnect Ltd, API Capacitors Ltd

Jobs created or safeguarded: 1,258

CO² savings: 55,000 tonnes

FCVGEN2.0 – Ford Motor Company Ltd

£8 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £16.3 million. This project will design and develop a hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of the Ford Transit van, with the Ford Dagenham engine factory to be re-purposed for initial production of the vehicle. By bringing the manufacturer, vehicle operator and supply chain businesses together, this project aims to establish a business case for the wider rollout of hydrogen Light Commercial Vehicles.

Project partners include: Ocado, BP, Cygnet Texkimp, Cambustion, Vrititech

Jobs created or safeguarded: 167

CO² savings: 4.1m tonnes

NEXTGENZEBS – Wrightbus

£6.4 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.7 million. This project will produce a new, market-leading platform for battery and fuel cell electric driven buses. Whilst demand is growing for zero-emission vehicles, there are currently few options available for heavy, multi-axle vehicles like large buses.

Project partners include: Queens University Belfast, Grayson Thermal Systems, Hutchinson Engineering, Translink

Jobs created or safeguarded: 883

CO² savings: 3.4m tonnes

CAVENDISH – BorgWarner

£4.9 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £9.8 million. This project aims to speed up the rollout of hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines, as an alternative to diesel. Project Cavendish will develop new fuel and air management systems, so that existing heavy duty diesel technologies can be repurposed to use hydrogen as fuel.

Project partners include: Mahle, Cambustion, Hartridge

Jobs created or safeguarded: 513

CO² savings: 31.6m tonnes

ZETTA – Leyland Trucks Ltd

£2.6 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £5.1 million. By better use of automation and advanced testing, Leyland Trucks aim to increase productivity and step up their production of battery electric trucks. A ‘digital twin’ of the Leyland production line will be set up, meaning any changes can be run in simulation before being rolled out physically.

Project partners include: Expert Tooling, HSSMI

Jobs created or safeguarded: 439

CO² savings: 12m tonnes

HYER POWER – ULEMCO Ltd

£3.9 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £7.9 million. This project will develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender for electric vehicles used for special purposes, such as ambulances, fire engines and street sweepers. The zero-emission range extender will be based on existing, proven technology from the Toyota Mirai, and demonstrate how zero emission vehicles can be used in a wide range of specialised and challenging settings.

Project partners include: Altair Engineering, Emergency One, Technical Services Ltd, Oxon Fire & Rescue Services

Jobs created or safeguarded: 682

CO² savings: 1.1m tonnes

HEIDI – Bramble Energy Ltd

£6.3 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.7 million. This project will demonstrate a fuel cell/battery hybrid powertrain on a double-decker bus. This novel product will be cheaper than the equivalents currently available for large vehicles like buses, and uses innovative new electronics and energy recovery technologies.

Project partners include: University of Bath, Equipmake, Aeristech

Jobs created or safeguarded: 498

CO² savings: 5.9m tonnes

About the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK

The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) collaborates with UK government, the automotive industry and academia to accelerate the industrialisation of technologies, supporting the transition to deliver net-zero emission vehicles.

Since its foundation in 2013, APC has funded 199 low-carbon projects involving 450 partners, working with companies of all sizes, and will have helped to create or safeguard over 55,000 jobs in the UK. The technologies developed in these projects are projected to save over 350 million tonnes of CO² , the equivalent of removing the lifetime emissions from 14.1 million cars.

With its deep sector expertise and cutting-edge knowledge of new propulsion technologies, APC’s role in building and advising project consortia helps projects start more quickly and deliver increased value. In the longer term, its work to drive innovation and encourage collaboration is building the foundations for a successful and sustainable UK automotive industry.

In 2019 the UK government committed the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to accelerate the development of a net-zero vehicle supply chain, enabling UK-based manufacturers to serve global markets. ATF investments are awarded through the APC to support strategically important UK capital and R&D investments that will enable companies involved in batteries, motors and drives, power electronics, fuel cells, and associated supply chains to anchor their future.

For more information please visit the APC website or follow @theapcuk on Twitter and Advanced Propulsion Centre UK on LinkedIn.

Harjinder Kang has today [May 3] been appointed as His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) to South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, succeeding Alan Gemmell OBE.

HMTCs lead the UK’s overseas effort to promote UK trade, investment, trade policy and export finance.

As the new Trade Commissioner for South Asia, Harjinder will generate business opportunities for the UK while contributing to the growth of sustainable, resilient, and productive economies across the South Asia region.

Prior to his promotion to HMTC, Harjinder was the UK’s Chief Negotiator for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement. He will be succeeded in this role by Kate Thornley, previously Deputy Chief Negotiator.

In his new position, Harjinder will play a pivotal role in supporting the implementation of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement, which could bring huge opportunities for UK businesses.

Before joining the Department for Business and Trade, Harjinder spent nearly 30 years at AstraZeneca, later becoming the Global Commercial Director, focusing on creating affordable solutions for pharmaceutical access in less developed regions. He is also a member of the Council of the University of Birmingham.

Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, said:

I am delighted to welcome Harjinder to this role. He has been an integral part of our India trade deal negotiating team and I’m confident he will use that experience to build on our outstanding track record on trade in South Asia, expanding opportunities for British businesses in untapped markets.

With an economy worth over £3.2 trillion and a growing population, a flourishing trade and investment relationship with South Asia holds vast potential for UK businesses and consumers.

HM Trade Commissioner for South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, Harjinder Kang, said:

It is an honour to be appointed as Trade Commissioner for South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, both vibrant and growing regions which are pivotal to the UK’s security and prosperity.

I am deeply committed to fostering strong relationships between the UK and South Asia and am excited about the opportunities ahead as we strengthen our economic ties and forge new partnerships in the region to create jobs, promote innovation and drive economic growth at home and abroad.