Lord Livingston led an excellent visit to the North East region last week - including a visit to BEL Valves on Tyneside, followed by a keynote speech at the North East Chamber's President Club, which had over 200 in attendance.
BEL Valves are going from strength to strength, making large valves for the oil and gas sector, both on and offshore. Some of the deep water valves now being made are sizeable - see the pic ! BEL valves export all over the world and as they continue to grow they are expanding their factory too, and we were given the chance to see the building work in full flow . As part of their commitment to 'knowledge transfer' the company had visiting engineers from Nigeria and Brazil on site, learning from UK experts.
The Presidents Club is usually a well attended affair - and there was an extensive Q&A for the minister to handle, which the audience really appreciated, covering a wide range of items from MSB exporting to devolution issues!
Finally a plug for Export Week which runs from 10-14 November, and especially Explore Export on 11 November , where the North East will host around 75 UKTI commercial directors from around the world. And don’t forget it’s the Expo next year , in Milan - an opportunity which comes around only once every five years!
UKTI helps many thousands of companies increase their profits and grow through export and inward investment every year
Find news and services information from UKTI
Arrange a meeting with a UKTI international trade adviser (UK cos. only)