Linesight Maximises Data Centre Opportunity in the Netherlands

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“We had started doing a lot of data centre projects for US multinationals in Ireland so we decided to look at the Netherlands as Amsterdam is a hub of activity for data centres.” – Paul Butler, director, Linesight

 

 

 

Key Takeouts:

  • Enterprise Ireland trade missions and market introductions a key success factor.
  • Excellence in service and personnel a key differentiator and competitive advantage.
  • Dutch data centre business a bridgehead for growing other sectors and European markets.

Case Study: Linesight

Five years ago Dublin-headquartered firm Linesight decided to go on fact-finding missions to the Netherlands with the help of Enterprise Ireland. It was a move which has led to around 70% growth in its fee base in that market since then and an increase in its team based there from four to 30 people.

Linesight provides professional services and strategic support to the global construction industry. Projects span a range of industry sectors including commercial, data centres, life sciences, healthcare, transportation and infrastructure and retail.

Originally established in 1974 as Bruce Shaw, Linesight rebranded in 2016 with a view to having a name that could be owned in all markets. The name Linesight was inspired by the company having its clients’ goals in their direct line of sight from initial concept through to successful project completion.

With staff located across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and North America, Linesight increased its global headcount by 135 and recorded turnover of about €60m for the group in 2016. It now has 17 offices around the world and has delivered projects in 40 countries.

Linesight’s growth in the first 30 years or so was mainly focused on Ireland and the UK where it established a number of offices. When the recession hit in 2008, it had built up a 25% market share in the domestic market for professional services to the construction industry. It had also generated a limited amount of international business.

The downturn in construction at home prompted the company to look at international markets more keenly and the Benelux region – and the Netherlands in particular – seemed a promising area to focus on. It had worked on five or six small projects there, but further to building up expertise and skills in data centre projects it saw an opportunity.

“We had started doing a lot of data centre projects for US multinationals in Ireland so we decided to look at the Netherlands as Amsterdam is a hub of activity for data centres,” says Linesight director Paul Butler.

“In addition, a lot of pharmaceutical multinationals were starting to set up subsidiary plants in the Benelux region. We recognised that we had the relevant in-house expertise and key staff delivering professional services in these areas. We wanted to retain that staff and the Netherlands was of particular interest to us.”

 

Linesights’s Partnership with Enterprise Ireland:

  • Attended a series of Enterprise Ireland workshops on data centres.
  • Benefitted from introductions to the market/local contractors organised by Enterprise Ireland.
  • Participated in Taoiseach’s trade mission to the Netherlands and Germany.

To see how Enterprise Ireland has enabled Linesight’s success, click here.

Competitive advantage through people

Over the years Linesight had established a partnership approach with clients based on consistency and clarity, and it has a proven track record in terms of quality and timely delivery of projects. This stood to the company when it came to building business in the Netherlands.

“For some of our clients developing projects in the Dutch market we were preferred bidders and travelled there with them as part of their team, offering the same service as we had in the Irish market,” Butler explains.

“Other projects involved competitive bidding as companies may have had their own in-house auditing functions – but we were also very competitive in winning that work.”

Some multinational clients even requested that certain individuals from Linesight work on projects with them in the Netherlands, Butler adds, “Our people are key in terms of generating repeat business. Senior project managers see projects through from cradle to grave and directors oversee projects on a 24/7 basis. The personal relationships built up over time have been very important.”

The Netherlands has been a relatively easy market for Linesight to enter as English is widely spoken and its framework in terms of contracting is similar to Ireland’s. “Being fluent contractually is a different thing than being able to speak a language. In other European countries language can be a barrier in this respect. We demand that contractors deal with us in English in the Netherlands,” says Butler.

That being said, once Linesight started to focus on the Dutch market, it invested a lot of time in ensuring it had the right contractors and partners to deliver projects to the standard required. It also had to get to grips with different regulations in relation to construction, planning codes and timeframes.

“Even within the Netherlands different regions are more regulated in terms of construction. For example, near the German border there is still a lot of heavy industry, which contrasts with the Amsterdam area,” says Butler.

“We had to stretch our web of contractors beyond the Amsterdam area. Now we have a high level of tried and trusted partners in the Netherlands that we know will deliver for us.”

Now that Linesight is established in the Dutch market it is looking at new opportunities within its existing client base, such as in the retail and pharmaceutical sectors. It also wants to take advantage of some new areas, in particular in relation to the local supply chain and newly built logistics centres.

“There are some very good companies competing with us for business. What differentiates us, in addition to our people, is the fact that we are an all-in company that can provide cost management, project management and risk assessment. This is vital for a lot of big multinationals,” notes Butler.

“A significant proportion of our people have backgrounds in civil, electrical or mechanical engineering – so our service is not just about number crunching, they can understand the design. They can go through drawings with clients in great detail and are fluent in engineering language.”

Gaining a foothold in the Netherlands has led to Linesight building business in Germany and Belgium. Once clients’ projects are completed in the Netherlands, it has extended its network to continue working with them in other locations.

“They want the consistent, clean approach of dealing with us, rather than having to educate a new local provider in their needs and ways. The flexibility of our people and operation has been key to our success.”

Top Tips for Exporting to Europe:

  • Be flexible and adapt to the needs of major multinational customers.
  • Build a strong local presence to really be successful in a market.
  • Harness the Irish mentality of ‘getting the job done’.

For more details, click here.

How PerfectCard Found the Perfect Incentive for Market Discovery

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 “You can’t just go into a market the size of the UK believing you will do the same things you do in Ireland. We decided to target the reseller market for our incentive product in the UK. Going the reseller rather than the direct route will increase our reach greatly.”
Natasha Brasier, PerfectCard

Key Takeouts:

  • PerfectCard is a gifts and incentives tool for both customers and employees.
  • An Enterprise Ireland market research grant helped PerfectCard pick the right strategy for entering the UK, targeting resellers instead of a more direct approach.
  • They won a place on the Enterprise Ireland Innovation for Growth Programme, which grew their UK presence and led to two new partners.

Case Study: PerfectCard

Founded in 2006, PerfectCard has established itself as a leading gift and incentives brand, with its distinctive cards widely used by shopping centres and retailers around Ireland as a gifting solution. Over the past decade the company has expanded and developed its offering to include employee and customer incentive products and has just launched Pecan, a new employee expenses service aimed primarily at Small and Medium Enterprises.

The company has also been preparing the ground for significant growth in the UK market, principally in the incentives area. “We already have customers in the UK and are about to dedicate more resources to growing sales there”, explain PerfectCard business development manager, Natasha Brasier.

The acquisition of a Galway-based IT company some years ago played a critical role in this strategy. “The acquisition allowed us to introduce additional features and benefits”, says Brasier. “For example, customers using the cards to reward employees were able to load them onsite. The solution allowed us to start selling into the UK market. Our customers include a number of Irish- based companies with overseas offices that started using our solution in other markets.”

PerfectCard was the first company in its space to receive e-money authorisation from the Central Bank of Ireland, which is also facilitating its international growth.

Enterprise Ireland support has also been crucial, with the company participating in the Innovation for Growth Programme, while Brasier will shortly complete the Enterprise Ireland-sponsored international sales programme at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)

“A few years ago, we also received a market research grant to research the UK market and some great advice through Enterprise Ireland”, she adds. The grant helped the company to assess the best route to market to reach their target customers. The company subsequently developed a much more structured sales process and approach for the UK market.

“You can’t just go into a market the size of the UK believing you will do the same things you do in Ireland”, says Brasier. “We decided to target the reseller market for our incentive product in the UK. We have a few companies using the product there, but going the reseller rather than the direct route will increase our reach greatly.

“The response has been very good, and we have identified two potential partners to work with. They recognise the value of having a separate staff rewards card to pay bonuses or other incentives. It shows that a bit of thought went into it. If it gets paid through payroll it disappears, but if the cash is on a separate card, employees can spend it straightaway or use it to save up for holidays or other treats.”

The intention after that is to grow the business out. “Once customers start using our incentive card solution it will be relatively easy to cross-sell our other products, such as Pecan.”

The launch of the Pecan product in the Irish and UK markets is a particular area of focus currently.

“Pecan will give SMEs and their employees much greater control over expenses. The card can be used to pay for employee expenses and the company gets to view expenditure in real time. The software also allows employees to take pictures of receipts and upload them, thus making reporting much easier.”

Click here to learn more about Enterprise Ireland’s Diversification supports.

Innovation and Tradition Combine in Oakpark Foods Winning Formula

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“We are now a key player in the UK market and have contracts with Morrisons, Aldi UK and others. We had to make a substantial investment in our factory, technology and management team to do it and it wouldn’t have been possible without Enterprise Ireland support.”
David Brett, Oakpark Foods

Key Takeouts:

  • Oakpark Foods availed of Enterprise Ireland’s food innovation supports to improve their packaging and develop new products.
  • It has enjoyed significant growth in recent years, largely driven by exports, but sees Brexit as a major issue.
  • The company now employs almost 100 people, with annual sales of just under €31 million.

Case Study: Oakpark Foods

Oakpark Foods has established itself as a leading bacon products supplier in the hugely competitive British retail market. “40% of our business is now in the UK,” says general manager David Brett. “We have been able to differentiate ourselves from our competitors there by using innovative packaging, clever new product development, and bespoke unique cures.”

The Cahir, County Tipperary-based company is part of the family-owned Brett Group, which has been supplying farm inputs in the region for almost 80 years. “We are now in the fourth generation,” he says. “The business dates back to the 1940s. Our core business is animal feed manufacturing. We sell dairy, pig and ruminant feed to famers around Leinster and Munster.”

The company acquired Oakpark Foods in the early 1990s. “Back then it was a small operation supplying local supermarkets and shops with bacon products. When we came on board we looked at how we could add value. After that, the opportunity came up to buy the nearby Sunglen Pig Farm which produces 800 pigs a week. Our mill in Callan in County Kilkenny manufactures the pig feed using a bespoke diet; this is then fed to our own pigs on our farm; and we produce top-quality consumer packs of bacon joints and rashers at Oakpark. This gives us unique seed to fork provenance.”

Oakpark has enjoyed significant growth in recent years, largely driven by exports, according to Brett.

“We are now a key player in the UK market and have contracts with Morrisons, Aldi UK and others,” he adds. “We had to make a substantial investment in our factory, technology and management team to do it and it wouldn’t have been possible without Enterprise Ireland support.”

The breakthrough into the UK was also facilitated by the growth of the discount chains in Ireland. “We supply both Aldi and Lidl here and they introduced us to the right people in the UK. That was a great help. But we also had to invest in a very significant R&D programme and we introduced a number of first-to-market products there. We used packaging technology to extend the shelf life of our products, we developed a new-style American streaky bacon product, and we also introduced 50 per cent fat-reduced lardons which appeal to increasingly health-conscious consumers.”

All of the R&D was carried out inhouse with Enterprise Ireland support. “It was a lot of hard work, but it had to be done. If we didn’t have a different story to tell we would have just been another bacon supplier.”

The company now employs almost 100 people, with annual sales of just under €31 million and is implementing a strategy to grow turnover by 33 per cent over the coming years. That strategy also takes Brexit into account.

“Brexit is a major issue for everyone involved in the food industry and we have to make our business as lean and efficient as possible in response,” he points out.

The bacon business will not suffer to the same extent as others, however, as Brett explains. “80% of the bacon sold in the UK is of EU origin and British people aren’t going to stop eating bacon overnight. The traditional bacon butty will remain a staple part of the diet. But Brexit is a serious issue nevertheless and we have done a lot of scenario planning. Selling into the UK will not be as simple as it is today. That’s a given.”

The company is not going to rely on a continuing taste for bacon in its key export market and is investing €5 million in a new facility in Clonmel with Enterprise Ireland support. The new manufacturing facility will produce a new range aimed at mainland Europe and further afield.

“It’s a completely new venture and will be up and running very shortly,” says Brett. “We are diversifying away from the UK market. The UK will remain important to us though and we are in there for the long haul. We have one of the most efficient slicing lines in these islands. That’s vitally important. In the end, it’s all about the price of a packet of rashers.”

Click here to learn more about Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation supports.

Broderick’s Bars: From One Kitchen to 30 countries

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“We wanted to create something different in terms of its taste, its packaging, the branding and the format. We were aiming at export markets from the very beginning and we knew that we needed a great product if we were going to succeed.”
Barry Broderick, Co-Owner Broderick’s Bars

Key Takeouts:

  • R&D funding and Growth programmes allowed Brodericks to commit the time, people and finances to research projects.
  • Growth programmes offered by Enterprise Ireland taught them about best practice, scaling and growing exports.
  • Broderick’s range of cakes are now exported to 30 countries and available on many international airlines.

Case Study: Broderick’s Bars

The Broderick’s range of cake bars and mini-bars are now exported to 30 countries around the world and can be found on the menus of a number of leading international airlines, including American Atlantic and Delta Airlines. The company, which recently moved to a purpose-built manufacturing facility in Tallaght, employs 110 people.

This is just the start, according to co-owner Barry Broderick, who adds that innovation has been at the very heart of the business since it began life as Ina’s Handmade Foods in 1994.

“The business started out in my Mum’s kitchen when my brother Bernard and I were kids”, he says. “We got involved as unpaid labour back then and have been working in it ever since. Back then, we produced a range of cakes for coffee shops and the food service sector generally. We always used Belgian chocolate and butter, and saw the opportunity for a premium grab and go offer using those base ingredients. That’s where the idea came from initially.”

Barry and Bernard then set about developing Broderick’s Bars. “We wanted to create something different in terms of its taste, its packaging, the branding and the format. We were aiming at export markets from the very beginning and we knew that we needed a great product if we were going to succeed. You have to have a product that people are interested in and that they want to buy again. You need to have a USP, and innovation is so important to that. You can’t stand out from the crowd without it.”

He appreciates the support Enterprise Ireland has provided over the years. “Enterprise Ireland has been a very good partner”, he says. “They really try to help you to achieve your ambitions and are very good at helping you scale a business. They mentor you through the growing phase of the company. They help you put the structures in place to build the business. Their Management for Growth and Leadership 4 Growth programmes have also been really helpful. It’s really about bringing best practice to your business, so that you can scale your business and grow jobs, and grow exports.

“On the R&D side, it’s very good because it enables you to realise the importance of R&D and innovation”, he adds. “Exporting success requires a lot of innovation and we really wouldn’t have been able to do that without Enterprise Ireland assistance. It allowed us to commit the time, people and finances to research projects, which enabled us to do something different and stay relevant in the eyes of our customers.”

Innovation remains central to the company’s growth ambitions. The latest additions to the Broderick’s range are BC bars, a range of natural, healthy, protein bars. “A lot of research went into developing these bars, and that knowledge is now available to the food service side of the business as well.”

The Tallaght facility also has a dedicated gluten-free unit. This will play an important part in the company’s future growth plans. “We want to be more than just a brand, we want to be bring people an authentic experience through great-tasting innovative products.”

Learn more on how Enterprise Ireland focuses on innovation with its wide range of supports.

Enterprise Ireland Instrumental in the Scaling of Combilift

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The Enterprise Ireland supports availed of by Combilift in Co. Monaghan over the past 20 years have ranged from trade mission participation to ongoing R&D support.
Materials handling equipment manufacturer Comblift has availed of Enterprise Ireland supports in the areas of research and development (R&D) and overseas markets since it was first established in 1997 in Co. Monaghan.

“We knew even from year one that we would have to be very focused on product development and investing in R&D and have found Enterprise Ireland to have been very supportive over the years in this regard,” says managing director of Combilift Martin McVicar.

“When it comes to entering new markets people in Enterprise Ireland offices will get out on the road with a company. In Germany, Kevin Buckley not only helped me to set up meetings but joined me in the car for three days going up and down the country meeting potential distributors.”

Combilift has also found the trade missions led by Enterprise Ireland to be very beneficial, as they have given the company great credibility in various markets — particularly with big customers and dealers. It has been on a number of trade missions, including to Saudi Arabia and Texas.

“Potential customers really put value on a trade mission. They demonstrate that your company must be a serious contender if it is endorsed by a government minister.”

Trade missions have assisted in driving sales for Combilift. For example during a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates two years ago it announced it was opening a new factory. Coincidentally a potential customer in the market, Agility Logistics, was at the announcement.

“Once operations manager of Agility Logistics Mohammed Jaber saw that Combilift was important to Irish government ministers he placed €400,000 worth of business with us.”

Other supports which Combilift has found beneficial include the Leadership for Growth programme as well as quarterly meetings of a mid-tier engineering group arranged by Enterprise Ireland over the past 18 months. “These meetings help to foster a scaling mindset – it is a stepping stone to creating the equivalent of a ‘Mittelstand’ of engineering companies in Ireland’.”

Movidius

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“These connections are worth far more than any amount of money they can give you.”

David Maloney – CTO & Founder

Who

Movidius are a leading developer of high performance computer vision platforms with applications in drones, VR headsets and robotics.

How

Enterprise Ireland’s connections with universities enabled Movidius to access technologies that they needed, enabling their ability to expand to international markets.

Result

Movidius’s success in international markets led to the company being acquired by Intel in September 2016.

See How We Helped Movidius

Design Shaping Success for Irish Exporters

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Ireland has not always considered itself a design nation. Yet our understanding of what good design means has evolved as companies recognise its commercial potential across sectors.

One milestone occurred when the Design & Crafts Council delivered Irish Design 2015 on the behalf of Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. Since that year-long programme, the commercial impact of design in Ireland has continued to evolve. Businesses that may once have viewed design as inessential, now recognise its potential to shape business results.

For today’s exporters, an approach to design should embrace two main elements: technology and user experience. Technology describes how a product functions, and user experience how customers engage with the solution, or more importantly, how the solution engages its users. The importance of both has been clear to B2C companies for some time, with the iPhone a famous example of excellence in both. Awareness has spread to less obvious applications, like the production of agricultural machinery. Manufacturers in B2B industries now understand that design can make products look efficient, so that a user’s impression of quality is often shaped by design.

“Exporters, in particular, must treat design as strategic. Customers in different markets often have different responses to technology and user experience. It cannot be assumed that design will translate across markets.”

Exporters, in particular, must treat design as strategic. Customers in different markets often have different responses to technology and user experience. It cannot be assumed that design will translate across markets. What good design looks like in Ireland is often different to what it looks like in France. Companies must, at the very least, consider how to adapt technology and user experience for each market targeted.

Enterprise Ireland supports more and more companies to give design the focus it deserves. The success of Marco Beverage Systems, a hot water delivery systems company, has been fueled by design-driven innovation. Paul Stack, Operations Director, explains that design transcends surface styling, saying, “The main considerations for our design team are energy efficiency, beverage excellence and design excellence, incorporating user experience and aesthetics.” With just under 100 employees globally, the company’s products can be seen in significant locations, including Starbucks, Bewley’s and Costa Coffee. Stack comments, “A reputation for good design and innovation increases your brand value and drives sales all by itself.”

How DEM Machines manufactured success in new markets.

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“Our export sales have trebled over the past three years. We are now looking at opportunities in Canada, the US and Australia.”

– John McCann, Operations Manager

Key Takeouts:

  • DEM Machines provide software for real-time factory floor data, in addition to bespoke industrial weighing equipment.
  • After their domestic success, they now look to international markets for growth.
  • Their export sales have trebled with Enterprise Ireland support, and are now looking at entering North America and Australia.

Case Study: DEM Machines

DEM Machines has seen export sales triple and employment grow by 50% over the past three years, since accessing Enterprise Ireland market research supports. The company, which counts leading food companies such as Kerry Group, Kepak, AIBP and Glanbia among its domestic customers, initially focused on the UK for overseas expansion.

DEM Machines is a Kildare-based company that manufactures bespoke industrial weighing equipment and develops industrial software solutions for a range of customers, mainly in the food and meat processing sectors.

“There are two interlinked strands to the business”, explains operations manager John McCann.

“We are a software company. We provide industry-specific software solutions, based on the award-winning SAP Business One platform. We also manufacture and supply the hardware that the software runs on.”

“There is a lot going on in a food processing plant”, McCann notes.

“We offer a fully integrated factory solution that connects back-office financial processes with factory floor processes, such as barcode scanning, label printing, handheld devices, weighing scales and data capture devices. That gives managers access to real-time factory floor data, enabling them to make quicker, better decisions. The idea is to provide food processors with a one-stop shop for all production and financial processing needs.”

A decision to re-energise the business was made three years ago. “We saw an opportunity to develop new products and services for the markets we serve”, McCann says. “We got rid of a lot of older stuff and built new software on the SAP platform. That was when we re-engaged with Enterprise Ireland.”

The company’s domestic success meant that the Irish market now offered limited prospects for growth. “The domestic market will always be a certain size”, McCann continues. “While we count all the major players among our customers here, we know the Irish market inside out. It is growing but at a relatively low rate. We had to look beyond the domestic market if we wanted to grow the business. We had to find additional markets and that’s where the engagement with Enterprise Ireland came in. We had worked with them previously on other developments and wanted to talk to them about overseas growth.”

The company initially looked at the UK and, with Enterprise Ireland assistance, has enjoyed considerable success in the market. “Our export sales have trebled over the past three years. That’s still a small part of the business but all growth is being driven by international markets. We are now looking at opportunities in Canada, the US and Australia. They use the English language and are mature markets with similar food and meat processing sectors and standards to our own. It’s at an early stage for now but that’s where we see future growth coming from.”

Enterprise Ireland market research supports have proven very helpful in assessing the UK market. “Enterprise Ireland were of great assistance”, McCann says. “It’s not just a grant. We used the Market Research Centre in East Point extensively. The team are very skilled at market research and assisted us in identifying excellent quality market intelligence.”

“Getting the grant is straightforward”, he adds. “You submit your plans and do projections. The turnaround time is very quick. We understood what they wanted from us, and they understood what we wanted to do. It was a very good meeting of minds. I would absolutely recommend other companies with export growth ambitions to talk to Enterprise Ireland.”

How eXpd8 followed the Thread to win new markets

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“We built the solution in 12 months and then wanted to validate our chosen market. That’s where market research support from Enterprise Ireland came in”

– Liam Mullaney, CEO

Key Takeouts:

  • Software specialists breaking into new markets with a new R&D led cloud-based offering.
  • Faced with challenges to future growth prospects, their Enterprise Ireland adviser helped them secure an R&D grant.
  • Today, enquiries are coming in from South Africa, Singapore, Germany and further afield.

Case Study: eXpd8

Enterprise Ireland market research support enabled Irish legal software specialist eXpd8 Limited to break into the US market with its new cloud-based offering – Thread. Since its launch in September 2017, the Thread legal case management solution has successfully been trialled by a number of law firms in California and North and South Carolina, with sales now following in the US and a number of other markets.

eXpd8 traces its origins to a first start as an office supplies company, founded in 1985 by Declan Branagan. In 2000, Declan recognised an opportunity to develop dedicated software for legal practices and the first eXpd8 software product was launched the following year. The solution has been hugely successful in the Irish market and has attracted interest from the US, Australia and South Africa.

Liam Mullaney, CEO, joined the company in 2015 and takes up the story from there, “As there are about 1,700 legal practices in Ireland, we had limited prospects for further growth. I spoke to Declan and we agreed that there was a huge opportunity to supply legal firms worldwide if we created a cloud-based product. That’s what led to the development of the Thread legal case management solution. That’s the product we are taking to the global market.”

It also led the company to its first contact with Enterprise Ireland. Mullaney continues, “We met with our Enterprise Ireland adviser, Eileen Bell, and she has been a great help. We received a feasibility study grant initially. After that, an R&D grant to help with the development of the product. Having the backing of Enterprise Ireland has been incredibly beneficial all the way along.

“We built the solution in 12 months and then wanted to validate our chosen market. That’s where market research support from Enterprise Ireland came in. We decided that the US was the place to be and we picked North and South Carolina as the two states to focus on initially. There are 7,000 legal firms in the two states, so that represented a good market for us.”

Under the market research grant, Head of Product Development Anne Marie Callaghan visited Charlotte, North Carolina in June 2017 to gather initial market intelligence. “It came through very clearly that using ‘the Irish card’ would work well for us”, she says. “People don’t realise how strong the support is for Ireland and Irish businesses internationally.”

The Thread solution was formally launched on September 18, 2017 in the Microsoft Campus in Charlotte. “The product is built on Microsoft Office 365”, explains Liam Mullaney. “This is very important, as it opens up a very big market for us and allows the product to be sold through the world-wide network of Microsoft resellers. Our close relationship with Microsoft has been invaluable throughout.”

Enterprise Ireland assistance has also been critically important, he adds.

“It is more than just financial support. Enterprise Ireland has a great network of contacts. They help you identify who you should talk to. Their encouragement and assistance also gives you confidence that you are doing the right thing. Enterprise Ireland has this web of connectivity and, when you get into it, doors open to all sorts of people who really want to help.”

Having enlisted their first customers in the US, the product is now going global. “Digital marketing begins to take over at this point. People hear about the product online and see the website. We now have interested law firms approaching us and already have users in South Africa and the UK. We’ve had enquiries from Singapore, Germany and further afield. I would definitely advise companies with export ambitions to talk to Enterprise Ireland about the supports they can offer.”

How Brexit drove Associated Rewinds to grow in new markets

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“Our focus up to two years ago was on the UK and Scandinavian markets, so when the Brexit vote came we recognised quickly that we were very exposed”

– Eamonn Griffith, International Sales Manager

Key Takeouts:

  • A strategic decision to target EU markets in response to Brexit.
  • Niche specialists with clients that invest millions of euro in locomotives who want to maximise the lifespan of that investment.
  • The Enterprise Ireland market research support was the ideal mechanism to help realise market diversification ambitions.

Case Study: Associated Rewinds

The outcome of the UK Brexit referendum in June 2016 prompted a strategic rethink on the part of Associated Rewinds, the Tallaght-based company that is the largest independent specialist in Europe for re-engineering, repairing and maintaining traction motors for trains, trams and metro systems. While the company boasts customers stretching from Scandinavia to Spain and Saudi Arabia, it had concerns in relation to its level of exposure to the UK market.

“Our focus up to two years ago was on the UK and Scandinavian markets, so when the Brexit vote came we recognised quickly that we were very exposed”, says international sales manager Eamonn Griffith. “We couldn’t predict the long-term impact but fluctuations in sterling became a problem again very quickly. It was like going back to the pre-euro days.”

In 2015, Associated Rewinds completed a large investment of approximately €5 million in a third factory in Tallaght, increasing capacity by 30%. “Due to Brexit and our increased capacity, we took a strategic decision that we needed to reduce our exposure to the UK as quickly as possible. We targeted EU markets – France, Germany, Austria and other countries where there is a sizeable volume of train assets and currency stability.”

The company enjoys considerable advantages when it comes to exploring new markets. “We are a niche specialist in traction motors for the rail sector”, Eamonn explains. “We remanufacture and maintain the motors. Our clients invest millions of euro in locomotives and they want to maximise the lifespan of that investment. They want to get 40–50 years’ life out of their assets and maintenance is crucial. It’s like owning a car, if you maintain it well, you will get a much longer life and better value from it.”

Associated Rewinds services all the main motor brands – GM, Bombardier, Siemens, Alstom and so on – and it has earned a reputation for solving difficult problems for customers. “Our clients have different environmental challenges. Scandinavia is subject to big weather extremes, with hot summers and very cold winters. We have the experience and capabilities to redesign and rebuild the motors to suit the environment. This sets us apart from our competitors.”

One example of such a customer is the Royal Mail in the UK which, 12 years ago, was experiencing severe difficulties with motors failing and trains breaking down on the tracks. “It was causing such chaos that it got to the stage where they were told to take the trains off the line until they resolved the problem. They asked us to investigate and establish what was causing their problems which resulted in us redesigning the motors. They haven’t had a single failure since. Royal Mail has since been happy to recommend us to other rail companies.”

Associated Rewinds discussed its ambitions for market diversification with Enterprise Ireland. “We wanted to reduce our UK exposure and fill our increased capacity as quickly as possible”, says Eamonn Griffith.

The Enterprise Ireland market research support was “the ideal mechanism to help us. It enabled us to do what we intended to do much more quickly than our resources allowed us to do and helped us carry out detailed market research in each of the target countries. We put in our application to Enterprise Ireland in late 2016 and received approval in January 2017. We have made some really good progress in the past 12 months.”

The French national rail company SNCF audited the Associated Rewinds facilities recently. “We have just received our first order from them. In addition to our original target markets we have received our first orders from Spain and Belgium. Our increased access to the European rail market is a direct result of the expansion of our sales team, combined with the results of the Enterprise Ireland market research undertaken into each of our target markets.

This research helped find where there was most demand for the company’s services. “We wanted to identify companies with problematic motors. That is the sweet spot and gives us something concrete to bring to the table with potential customers.”

“I would recommend the Enterprise Ireland programme very highly to other companies. Their office network in Europe is very helpful and the Enterprise Ireland people have been around the block many times. They are knowledgeable about both the positive and challenging aspects of researching and entering new markets. Enterprise Ireland has experienced the successes and failures of many other companies before us and can help companies like Associated Rewinds avoid the pitfalls and capitalise on previous success.

Researching and validating new markets can be an expensive and a time-consuming process. The Enterprise Ireland market research support assists with that. But you need to have a very clear focus on what you want to achieve and know your value proposition for that market.”

 Learn how Enterprise Ireland’s Diversification supports can help you to develop market knowledge and prepare for the challenges of entering new markets.

 

East Coast Bakehouse

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“Knowing what Enterprise Ireland do, they are about creating real employment opportunities in Ireland. We knew for us it was a credible soundboard to the plan that we had.”

Darragh Monaghan – Commercial Director

Who

East Coast Bakehouse are a Louth-based biscuit producer. Using the finest ingredients, they have created a range of biscuits which landed on shelves in September 2016.

How

Accessing relevant funding from Enterprise Ireland enabled East Coast Bakehouse to secure and fit out their 50,000 sq ft manufacturing facility.

Result

East Coast Bakehouse are in a position to produce enough product to enter both the UK and Irish market simultaneously.

See How We Helped East Coast Bakehouse

How Aerogen’s ‘Born Global’ Mindset Drove Export Success

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“The more resources you apply — particularly on the ground — the more traction and sales you achieve. We found that you can’t dabble in a market; you have to go all-in.”

John Power, CEO, Aerogen

Key Takeouts:

  • ‘Born Global’ mindset drove export success.
  • Strong distributors plus people on the ground accelerated market penetration.
  • Each market entry enabled locally by Enterprise Ireland.

Case Study: Aerogen

CEO of Aerogen John Power recognised long before he established the company in Galway in 1997 that he would have to make sure it developed a unique solution that could be sold globally — distinct from something designed specifically for Europe or the US.

The result was an aerosol drug delivery system that reduces the length of time a patient needs to be on a ventilator, meaning they recover faster and have a shorter stay in hospital. Its proprietary vibrating mesh technology turns liquid medication into a fine particle mist, gently and effectively delivering drugs to the lungs of critically ill patients.

Aerogen is now synonymous with the effective treatment of respiratory illness among patient groups of all ages, playing a critical role in emergency departments and intensive care units in over 75 countries worldwide.

“Medtech companies by nature are ‘born global’. I knew there was no chance of setting up and sustaining a business developing original medical equipment just for sale in Ireland and the UK,” says Power.

“All of our products are heavily regulated and any new iteration has to get both European and US approvals, so we have always brought those markets along in parallel since early 2000. A lot of our partners, such as GE Healthcare and Medtronic, want products that sell internationally and are regulated internationally.”

The US is Aerogen’s leading market — its aerosol drug delivery system is now being used in the intensive care units of 60% of the top 200 hospitals in the US. Europe, including the UK and Ireland, is its second biggest market accounting for around 30% of sales, followed by Asia and the Middle East.

Aerogen’s Partnership with Enterprise Ireland:

  • Partnership began with feasibility funding in 1997.
  • Accesses Enterprise Ireland’s network in every market it enters.
  • R&D supports have enabled risky and costly innovation.
  • Shares Enterprise Ireland presence at important trade events.

To see how Enterprise Ireland has enabled Aerogen’s success, click here.

Working with distributors

While Aerogen currently sells through distributors in all of its markets, its entry strategy in many cases was to partner with large healthcare multinationals which sold its solution alongside major pieces of capital equipment. Power’s connections in the industry helped in this regard as he had worked in multinationals previously.

Aerogen’s annual revenues have been growing by 25-30% over the past number of years, reaching €50m in 2016. Of its total workforce of 130, there are now 20 people based full-time in the US, four in Germany, three in France and two in the UK. It added 35 people to its headcount in 2016 and will do the same this year.

 

“One of the things we have learned is making money in any given market is all down to putting more resources into it – both commercial and clinical. The more resources you apply, particularly on the ground, the more traction and sales you achieve. We found that you can’t dabble in a market, you have to go all-in” says Power.

Selecting the right distributor in each market for Aerogen’s products has been crucially important and the expertise and experience that exists within the workforce has played a key role in this regard.

“I have a group of guys involved in our export markets who have worked all their lives in export sales for big multinational companies and specialise in different regions,” says Power. “They know who the good distributors are. Most of the time distribution is done on the basis of personal experience or a strong recommendation from someone you know.

 

Germany and France – challenges overcome

While Ireland is a huge exporter of medtech products, a large percentage of this is by US multinationals based here. This is in contrast to Germany and France which have large indigenous medtech sectors.

“Germany and France dwarf Ireland when it comes to their indigenous medtech sectors. Both are quite protectionist in many ways and want to support their own industries in their own countries,” says Power.

“For that reason, our products have to be better than those manufactured by German and French companies to make sure they will sell. Germans like to develop their own innovative products and France has a long engineering and technology track record. So any technology you’re trying to sell has to be substantially better than what they have developed themselves if it is to interest them.”

In order to sell into Europe, a medtech product must achieve the CE Marking certification. After that, it must be approved by the individual authorities in each country. How easy or difficult this is depends on the structure of the health system.

“For example, in France, there is a very strong public health system which can mean a reticence to change. You have to ensure products are properly coded by the relevant health authorities before you can sell into that market,” says Power. “Normally there is more of a mix of private and public health systems – sometimes it is easier to get in the door of private hospitals as there is less bureaucracy.”

A further challenge in France and Germany has been that healthcare providers demand proof of the economic, as well as the clinical, benefits of any new medical technology. Aerogen has concentrated a lot on this area in the past 18 months, investing in clinical studies to prove the benefits of its technology clinically and how it can reduce the cost of care – for example by reducing admissions from accident and emergency departments.

“Everybody prefers data from their own market. It is an expensive game, but if we want scalability in terms of our product, we have got to be prepared to invest in this area,” notes Power.

Top Tips for Exporting to Europe:

  • Develop a superior, differentiated solution — not a ‘me too’.
  • Start with a narrow market focus and service that well.
  • Work long and hard to identify the right distributor.
  • Nothing beats your own people on the ground, driving your distributor.

For more details, click here .