£1.1m Chilean export deal for Manchester engineering firm Trelleborg

Engineering company Trelleborg Flexible Containment Solutions has secured a Chilean export deal worth more than £1m.

With help from the Department for International Trade (DIT), the Middleton-based firm developed a direct relationship with a publicly owned business that provides support to Chile’s army.

Representatives of the two organisations met in the capital, Santiago, to sign a £1.1m contract that could lead to up to three further contracts until 2019.

Trelleborg designs and manufactures flexible liquid containers for fuel and water storage systems, oil spill response operations and other applications across fields such as defence, energy and humanitarian aid.

Trelleborg’s sales and marketing manager, Ray Jeffries, said: “Had we not had the support of the Department for International Trade at home and abroad, I am very doubtful this contact would have been signed.

“This contract is a game-changer as it is a new product that we hope to sell to many other territories, including other Latin American countries.”

He added: “We are grateful for the Department for International Trade for helping us secure the first contact and kick-starting this momentous opportunity.”

The DIT’s deputy regional director for the North West, Paul Stowers, commented: “I’d like to congratulate Trelleborg on this substantial contract.

“The collaboration between our offices in Manchester, London and Santiago was instrumental to this contract being signed, and it’s an excellent example of how we’re able to offer businesses across the North West support on their export journey.”

He continued: “Chile is a country with good political relations with the UK and a commitment to free trade, representing a great market for British businesses looking to export.