Exporter Case Study: Industrial Textiles & Plastics Ltd
What does your company do at the moment and what’s next?
We manufacture technical textiles with exports representing around 25% of turnover. New flame-retardant membranes should increase sales in the UK and worldwide.
How are the exports going?
From £20K to £ 2.5 million in 15 years, we are now selling to around 30 countries.
How has the Export Action Plan helped with your exports?
It helped concentrate our minds for expansion into Russia.
How have you found the experience of the final today?
It was very interesting seeing how other companies with very different products and customer bases choose to operate.
I am a little cynical about the competition aspect of these events on several levels, however, the networking opportunities are very valuable and make the event worthwhile. They are also a good opportunity for publicity.
What three tips would you give to other new exporters?
- Start with baby steps.
- Offer DDP terms or at least DAP in local currency wherever possible
- Offer credit terms via factoring bank.
About Industrial Textiles & Plastics Ltd
Established in 1989, ITP is a leading producer of protective engineered textiles for buildings and construction. The company’s expertise is in flame retardant and chemical-resistant technologies.
ITP’s products are woven fabrics, coated textiles, membranes, and non-woven composites, with four ranges of use: ground and gas barrier membranes; building membranes; containment and weather protection systems; and chemical protective materials
ITP has considerable technical expertise in producing complex composite materials for many different performance requirements. Principle markets are construction, environmental protection, petrochemical, marine and offshore, military and civil defence.
Advanced manufacturing technology ensures consistently high standards and reliability, and ITP is ISOQAR Quality Assured and certified to ISO 9001. The company is active at an industry level, working closely with standards committees and trade associations.
In the 1990s, ITP developed a new barrier material for the Ministry of Defence to produce a new generation of COLPRO shelters resistant to chemical and biological warfare agents, which were subsequently used by British Forces during the Gulf War.
In 2002, ITP responded to customers’ requirements for specific materials by moving into manufacturing to provide engineered textiles and membranes designed to meet market demands. The product range has now grown to hundreds of materials in different sizes, specifications, and uses. Included in this are innovative gas and chemical barrier membranes for environmental protection and brownfield site development.
Expansion into the international market began in 2003, with materials being created specifically for Scandinavian weather and containment protection systems. Growth was rapid and ITP acquired a warehouse in Gothenburg to provide next-day deliveries to the region.
ITP’s products are sold worldwide and company staff members speak more than seven languages with exports accounting for up to 30% of their business.
