OVERSEAS MARKET INTRODUCTION SERVICE ASSISTS AUTOKONTROL TO OPEN UP NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN SOUTH AMERICA, POTENTIALLY WORTH SEVERAL MILLION POUNDS

Autokontrol, a specialist in the supply of speed limiters for commercial vehicles, is in the process of building a distributor base in a large potential market of South America, thanks to assistance with market intelligence and the arranging of meetings in the country by the UKTI

PROJECT

Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) for Autokontrol in South America

BACKGROUND

Autokontrol manufactures and distributes speed limiters from its Manchester base in the UK. The products are primarily for commercial vehicles, in countries where there is a legal requirement for such vehicles to have their speed limited. The products help to improve levels of safety and reduce vehicle emissions. Most vehicles in Europe have now been fitted with such technology, however there is a growing demand in the rest of the world for Autokontrol’s products. Autokontrol currently has distributors in a number of countries around the world that can market and fit the products. However to date the company has not appointed any distributors in South America.

PROJECT AIM

To expand the Autokontrol business into new markets, in this case, specifically South America.

NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT

Autokontrol has been very successful in terms of its product take-up in European markets, however the potential for further growth in Europe is less than that throughout the rest of the world. Therefore it is essential to target the world’s large, growing economies such as South America. Autokontrol must be in a position to satisfy demand as and when it occurs.

APPROACH

With assistance from the Northwest Automotive Alliance (NAA) Business Excellence (BE) programme, Autokontrol commissioned an Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) market intelligence report for certain regions of South America. This was provided by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). As part of the service from UKTI and various High Commissions, Autokontrol met with a number of companies to discuss possible commercial partnerships.

OUTCOMES

As a result of the initial marketing intelligence report and subsequent meetings, Autokontrol has identified potential distributors in South America. This means that the company is set up to enter the market at the appropriate time. It is estimated that the market for Autokontrol’s products could be worth many millions of pounds which could represent a significant business opportunity for the company.

Ron Tagg, Autokontrol’s Marketing Director, says

“Due to the assistance from the NAA BE programme we have been able to identity potential distributors in South America who can partner with us in order to sell our product range. Following the production of the market intelligence report, I visited certain regions of South America to meet potential customers and partners. I had over 25 meetings in 10 days, including with OEMs, which were organised by UKTI. Even translators were provided. The visit also led to subsequent regular dialogue with various senior Government Officials and an opportunity to speak at a major automotive conference in late 2012. The UKTI’s OMIS service was excellent and based on our experiences with this project we intend to commission this service again in the future for other countries.”