UKTI trip sparks a direction change

Aug 19 2008 by jez Davison, Evening Gazette

A VISIT to Dubai sparked a radical change of direction at one Middlesbrough company.

Little more than 12 months ago, IT services provider Onyx Group had no intention of operating outside of the UK.

But after embarking on a UKTI-led trade mission from the North-east last November, the company decided to cash in on the Middle Eastern economic boom.

Since then Onyx has secured work with one of the world’s largest electrical goods manufacturers as well as Dubai World, the owner of P&O Ferries and Legoland.

The company now has an established base in Dubai with the promise of more work to come.

For technical director Sean Allison, who attended the mission, it was so very nearly a case of missed opportunity.

“It became apparent that in terms of what we do, the market in Dubai is very under-serviced,” he says. “The area has attracted massive investment from financial institutions and we’ve managed to gain business on the back of it.”

Along with two other staff, Sean oversees the running of Onyx’s Dubai operation and has joined two networking organisations - Business Networking International and British Business Group - which provide details of key decision-makers in the area.

He is currently negotiating several deals that could help Onyx achieve a target of almost doubling turnover to £23m next year.

Employing about 50 people, the company is keen to secure more work from a region where more than 50% of the world’s cranes are located.

But Teesside firms who prefer doing business at a distance have little chance of clinching that all-important deal.

“Face-to-face communication is essential,” says Sean, who spends the majority of his working hours in Dubai. “People won’t take you seriously if you try to service Dubai from the UK.”