“It is time for businesses in Wales to seize global exporting opportunities with both hands,” Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns will say today (14 Sept) during a visit to a Nantgarw- based furniture manufacturer making waves in overseas markets.
Mr Cairns will visit Orangebox in Parc Nantgarw a company that boasts a range of Blue Chip clients and export channels that span Europe, the Middle East, Far East and the USA. He will meet with senior executives at the company to hear about their future expansion plans and underline the UK Government’s commitment to providing certainty and stability to businesses in Wales as the UK prepares to exit the European Union.
Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:
Wales is bursting with innovative and world-class companies that are boosting our economy, creating jobs and changing lives across the country. But now is the time to raise the bar and show the world just what Wales has to offer.
Orangebox is a great example of a company doing just that– a company with local headquarters yet with an internationally renowned reputation – putting Wales on the map right across the globe.
As Britain prepares to exit the EU we now have the opportunity to shape our own ambitious trade and investment opportunities in Europe and beyond, and put Wales and Britain firmly at the forefront of global trade and investment.
Wales is already an exporting nation. In 2016, 4,000 companies took their first forays into the global market at a value of £12.4 billion. Across the UK, exports contribute over £570 billion to GDP annually.
Orangebox, which was established in 1972, is expecting to achieve sales of £60m in 2017. It is also predicted that that the firm will save £30k per year, following the removal of the Severn Bridge tolls in 2018.
The visit comes after the Welsh Secretary announced that he is writing to 26,000 Welsh businesses that have been identified as potential exporters and sending them a copy of a dedicated exporting guide for Welsh businesses.
The Wales Export Guide, sets out the full range of support available to Welsh businesses from the UK Government and contains inspiring stories of companies based in Wales that are successfully exporting. Alun Cairns hopes that businesses will recognise the huge potential available to help them invest and grow.
Mr Cairns added:
Our mission is to become the world’s greatest exporting nation,, boosting business confidence and national pride, and empowering more Welsh companies to go out and succeed in global markets.
That is why we are sharing the advice, guidance and support available from the UK Government, in particular from the Department for International Trade, for businesses in our Wales Export Guide. We want to help them to build their brand abroad as we continue to increase UK exports and encourage inward investment.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Orangebox has a 420-strong workforce across sites in Ystrad Mynach, Parc Nantgarw and a London showroom. Their clients range from Blue Chip Organisations to Government Departments and 78% of their supply chain is based in the UK with many key suppliers in Wales.
ENDS
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