With support from UK Trade & Investment, Australian company Opengear has recently opened an office in Slough, enabling it to expand into theUK market and Europe.

Fast Facts

Company: Opengear Limited
Country: Australia
Industry: ICT
Website: www.opengear.com

Australian company Opengear develops and supplies hardware and software products that allow businesses to remotely monitor and control their computer systems. Since it was set up in Brisbane in 2005, its revenue has grown by 50 per cent each year, and today it has 18 employees in offices in Australia, the US and now the UK.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is one of Opengear’s main customers, and through DFAT the company supplies products to Australian embassies, consulates and high commissions around the world. Opengear also services private sector customers who need to securely manage the servers and equipment in their remote sites.

“Our typical customer has an unstaffed medium-sized computer room or data centre,” says Bob Waldie, CEO and co-founder of Opengear. “Our products allow them to update applications, change passwords, monitor the environment, control the power, recover failed networks or check security, all from a distance. Our software is open source, so it’s free to be adapted by the customer to suit their specific needs.We provide systems maintenance support as well.”

Road to success
Around 80 per cent of Opengear’s business comes from outside Australia, mostly the US. In 2010, the company decided to invest in the UK, as ameans of reaching a wider marketand further develop its business.Bob had previous experience of investing overseas and recognised that, as well as being a promising market in itself, the UK is ideally placed for creating and maintaining links to customers in mainland Europe.

On the recommendation of hisbusiness associates, Bob contactedUK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for help and advice about the new venture. When Opengear’s co-founder Tony Merenda travelled to the UK in the spring of 2010 to look for a base and to do market research, UKTI advised on potential locations. The company chose to base its UK office in Slough, and UKTI helped it to open a bank account and find a local accountancy firm to work with. UKTI also helped the company to find an immigration lawyer to advise on relocating one of its engineers from Australia to man the Slough office.

“We started the process of setting up our UK office in September 2010, and by January 2011 we were open for business,” says Bob. “Setting up an overseas office can be a complex process, but the UKTI team knows where the hurdles and sticking points might be, and they guide you through them. They don’t babysit you, but they give you a road map and details you need to make informed decisions. Without UKTI, the process would have taken us much longer.”

Engineering new links
Opengear’s Slough office is working with two distributors, S-Connect Limited and Entrix Computing Limited, and business brought in through these collaborations already accounts for 10 per cent of the company’s total turnover. Over the next two years, Bob intends to double this to 20 per cent, and to employ four or five local people as engineering and sales support staff. The company’s Australian engineer will be based in the UK for two more years, where he’ll continue to build links with local businesses and recruit and train new staff before returning to Brisbane.

As well as the two distributors, Opengear has opened an online shop to deal with smaller, one-off orders and samples. The company’s research and development operation will remain in Australia, but the UK office will serve as a base from which to expand sales in the European market in the next two years. If this is a success, then Opengear will aim to enter the rapidly growing Chinese market from 2013.

“We are already becoming established in the UK, and are keen to use thisbase to move the business forwardinto Europe and beyond,” says Bob.“The UKTI service is exceptionally good. The team is very sharp, and has been quick to respond to our questions and needs, providing us with quality information. If a business is thinking of investing in the UK, they’d be wise to get UKTI on board as soon as possible.”

Published with kind permission from UKTI – www.ukti.gov.uk 

Australian company Brilliant Prints has recently set up a new factory for its printed canvas business in the UK, with help and support from UK Trade & Investment.

Fast facts
Company: Brilliant Prints
Country: Australia
Industry: Creative & Media
Website: www.brilliantprints.co.uk

Liam Tovey had always wanted to go into business for himself, and was on the look-out for a suitable opportunity to pursue. His lightbulb moment happened when his brother came home with a canvas print of a photograph that his mother had taken. Confident that he could produce a better quality product, Liam went ahead and bought a printer on eBay, and set up Brilliant Prints from his parents’ home.Liam developed his own in-house software to automate and streamline much of the process of producing canvas prints. He forged relationships with manufacturers, buying timber and canvas in bulk to keep his prices competitive. Above all, he decided to prioritise customer service over profit. As a result of this philosophy, Brilliant Prints has built up a loyal customer base, comprising mainly professional photographers who come back to the company time and time again.
“Canvas prints have become popular recently as a modern way to present a photograph,” says Hannah Tovey, Liam’s sister and Managing Director of Brilliant Prints UK. “They have no frame to distract from the picture itself, and look fresh and clean-cut. Our product is unique in the market, because our canvasses are fully laminated with UV blockers. We are confident enough to give our customers an unconditional 75 year guarantee that it won’t fade, even if left out in the sun. The frames we use to mount the canvas are made from hardwood, which doesn’t warp or lose its shape. And we also offer a satisfaction guarantee, so if a customer isn’t happy with their print for any reason at all, they can return it to us. Because of this service, our customers use us again and again and recommend us to their colleagues and friends.”
Building the business
Traditionally, most of Brilliant Prints’ business has come through word of mouth and the company website. This has brought in customers from around the world, including Hong Kong, New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East.
In 2009, the company opened its first overseas branch in Singapore, to serve the Asia region. This expansion went well, and Liam was soon considering other potential markets. He began to think seriously about the UK when a customer reported a gap in the market there for the quality and pricing that Brilliant Prints offered. So, Liam began to research the UK further, talking to photographers in Australia with experience of the UK to gauge demand for his products over there. He also came across UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) on the internet, and sent an email to the UKTI Brisbane office asking what help was available to an Australian company looking to expand into the UK.
“We hadn’t really spent much time in the UK before we decided to set up our business there, so UKTI’s support has been invaluable,” says Hannah.
“We knew we wanted to be near to London to be close to the major photographic exhibitions, conferences and seminars that take place there. But we need space for our in-house production facilities, and were keen
to keep our rental costs down.
We thought Basildon would offer the right balance, and UKTI in Brisbane confirmed that this would be a good location for us. They then put us in touch with local investment organisations in the UK, such as Thames Gateway and Invest Essex, who were able to give us specific advice about finding premises, how to recruit staff and what grants were available. We also used UKTI’s web-based UK Advisory Network to find a local accountant, who set up our UK registered company. UKTI and its partners generally made the whole process much easier than if we had tried to do all this by ourselves.”
Picture perfect
By February 2011, the Brilliant Prints factory in Basildon was up and running. The company’s first shipments of canvas from the US and timber from Malaysia have already arrived, and its first orders for UK customers have been completed.
As the UK business grows over the next few years, Brilliant Prints will bring more of its products over from Australia, including ice mounts and art blocks. In time, the company will also begin to market itself across Europe, using the UK as its regional base.
“We’ve got off to a good start in the UK,” says Hannah. “I attended a photography conference in London in March this year to touch base with potential customers, and as a result, we’ve already completed our first few orders from our Basildon factory. Until now, our European business has been reactive as customers have approached us through our website. But, now that we have a base up and running in the UK, we are looking forward to actively pursuing new business across Europe. Freight is relatively cheap, so we will manufacture our products in the UK and ship them out. It’s early days, but our new venture is already keeping us busy and we’re excited about our future in the UK and Europe.”

UKTI Brilliant Prints case study

Published with kind permission from UKTI – www.ukti.gov.uk

Kevin Beare & Co, a UK accounting firm, are proud to be a platinum sponsor of the UKTI “Go UK” business plan competition open to Australian and New Zealand businesses with an interest in expansion to the UK.

The prizes:  Four support packages worth A$25k each to help three (3) Australian and one (1) New Zealand business get started in the UK. These include:

• Business registration and accounting support by, Kevin Beare & Co. UK Chartered Accountants
• Business to business networking with Alan MacKelworth & Co Ltd who specialise in CEO to CEO introductions with key-customers, alliance partners & thought leaders 
• A return business class airfare to London with British Airways

So, Go UK provides the winning companies the opportunity to meet with potential business partners, gain client contacts & business networks. It provides company formation (Branch/Ltd) services, employee support, and ongoing UKTI support to expand to the UK, Europe and beyond.

Entries are now open for Go UK participants to submit their business plan online with close of entries on Friday 17 February 2012.

The finalists will be announced at the end of February 2012 and the winners and final prizes will be awarded at a cocktail reception in March in the following locations:

• Sydney (covering all NSW, ACT and WA entrants);
• Melbourne (covering all VIC, SA and TAS entrants); and
• Brisbane (covering all QLD and NT entrants).
• Auckland (covering New Zealand).

We have put together a page on our website noting the key points involved when creating a UK business plan.

For more information about Go UK and to enter the competition, please click UK in Australia website.

For New Zealand entries, please click UK in New Zealand website.

Editors Note:

Kevin Beare & Co. is a UK accounting firm that prefers to work with overseas companies operating in the UK. Initially, they form the appropriate legal entity and arrange the relevant fiscal registrations, which includes VAT. They provide ongoing support with fully outsourced accounting, including payroll for the UK hires, expenses processing, preparing monthly/quarterly management accounts, and making any necessary payments. It also includes preparing and submitting quarterly VAT returns.

AMaC Limited work closely with their clients executive teams to deliver B2B Executive to Executive introductions in the UK and beyond. They help build robust relationships with their peers in key-customers, alliance partners, thought leaders, emerging markets and new geography and innovative suppliers.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the government department that helps UK based companies succeed in the global economy. They also help overseas companies by providing advice and practical assistance and are acknowledged as Europe’s best authority to aid global business. UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. They provide companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage, maximising resources and saving time and money.

British Airways has worldwide route network that covers more than 150 destinations in 75 countries. In more than 90 years, the airline has carried more than 1.2 billion customers on its extensive network, and is recognised as one of the world’s elite carriers. British Airways has been flying to Australia for over 75 years and currently operates two flights daily between Australia and the UK via Bangkok and Singapore.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) helped more than 40 Australian companies successfully establish themselves in the UK last year and some 1000 Australian companies are already set up and doing business in the region.

To encourage further investment, UKTI has launched Go UK – a business plan competition open to Australian and New Zealand businesses with an interest in expansion to the UK.

Entries are open for Go UK participants to submit their business plan online with close of entries on Friday 3 February 2012.

The finalists for each region/category will be announced in February 2012 and the Australian winners and final prizes will be awarded at a cocktail reception in March in the following locations:

• Sydney (covering all NSW, ACT and WA entrants);
• Melbourne (covering all VIC, SA and TAS entrants); and
• Brisbane (covering all QLD and NT entrants).

Go UK gives Australian and New Zealand companies the chance to win business support packages that include British Airways return airfares to London, meetings with potential business partners, client contacts, business networks, Company formation (branch/Ltd), and employee support services, as well as ongoing UKTI support to expand to the UK and Europe, and then the world.

Richard Morris, Director General of UK Trade & Investment in Australia and New Zealand, says now is an opportune time for Australian businesses to expand into the UK.

“The UK is the easiest place in Europe to do business and has the least barriers to entrepreneurship in the world.  Just as Australia can be a gateway to Asia, the UK is the gateway to Europe and a combined population of around 500 million people,” Mr Morris said.

“We all know examples of great Aussie success stories in the UK. Everyone has heard about Macquarie, Westfield, BHP Billiton, NAB and others at the big end of town. But not so many people know about the SMEs that crack the UK market every year. It doesn’t matter what your line of business, any Australian company thinking of establishing themselves in the UK should enter Go UK.”

Mr Morris says the UK is much more than a financial services centre, it is the world’s sixth largest economy; one of the world’s top ten manufacturing nations; and has the world’s second largest aerospace industry; the world’s second largest – and Europe’s largest – life sciences industry; Europe’s second largest ICT sector; and its largest creative industry sector.

He adds: “Real estate in the UK is competitively priced; the Australian dollar is buying more than it has for many years and the UK economy is poised for a decade of growth, especially with the London 2012 Olympics just around the corner.  If you are thinking about expanding internationally, enter Go UK and contact UK Trade & Investment for assistance.”

A similar initiative, UK Market Entry (UKME) competition, was run last year and attracted 95 entrants in Australia and 60 entrants in New Zealand.

The winners of the UK Market Entry (UKME) competition were Victorian-based aluminium design and manufacturing company, Lite Industries, making its own specialised range of products including shoring systems, pallets and tow trailers; and PHM Technology (PHMT), a software company that has developed advanced modelling and analysis tools for the design and operation of some of the critical systems that form the backbone of a range of industries from aerospace to oil & gas.

The winning Queensland companies were Noja Power, an exporter to the UK of its market-leading circuit breakers that increase the reliability of electricity supply and conform to the latest environmental standards; and In Business Systems, providing a revolutionary new method of connecting the framework for structural steel buildings.

The NSW winners were Rutherford Global Power; which provides temporary electrical systems for the construction and tunnelling industries; and Iris Interactive which helps bio-pharmaceutical and healthcare companies commercialise new products and bring medicines to patients faster.

To enter the Go UK competition, go to http://ukinaustralia.fco.gov.uk/go-uk/

To find out more about UKTI go to http://ukinaustralia.fco.gov.uk/en/business

BACKGROUNDER

DEADLINES

The Go UK business competition will run between 29 September 2011 and February 2012.

3 February 2012: Closing date for registration and completed application form.

Prize details

Three companies from Australia and one from New Zealand will each win a Go UK prize package worth at least $25,000, which will include:

• Business consultancy and executive introductions from AMaCLtd.
• Return business-class flight to the UK with British Airways.
• Business registration and six months worth of accountingPLUS support from Kevin Beare & Co. Chartered Accountants

For full terms and conditions of the competition see http://ukinaustralia.fco.gov.uk/go-uk

EVENTS

1. Awards will be held in March 2012 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.