Cable firm steps up Down Under
Oct 25 2007 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal
ACABLE manufacturer has stepped up its global growth drive by extending its reach Down Under.
Newcastle-based CMP Products, which makes connectors and other accessories for industrial, marine and hazardous area installations, has added Perth to its global network of offices.
The Australian base adds another market to the company’s portfolio which includes a recently launched operation in Pusan, South Korea, and offices in Dubai, Houston, Shanghai and Singapore.
The move will allow CMP to tap into the buoyant Australian oil and gas industry which is expected to flourish into the foreseeable future.
David O’Brien, CMP’s general manager for Australia, said: “With the time and logistical differences, it is very difficult to cover the Australian market effectively from the UK. The market requires a high level of support on the ground. By establishing a base in Western Australia, CMP now has the ideal network of offices to target all the major oil and gas markets.”
Earlier this year CMP embarked on an exploratory visit to Perth with NOF Energy, the business development organisation for oil and gas and energy-related sectors.
Joanne Leng, director of international business at the organisation, said CMP’s expansion to Australia would help the firm land deals on bigger projects and enter the South-East Asian market.
She said: “For CMP it is vital to have a local presence to participate in the bigger projects in the region. Western Australia is a growing oil and gas market and has become an important hub for equipment and services providers targeting Australia and South-East Asia.
“A number of major companies now have operational and administrative bases in Perth.”
CMP is owned by British Engines – the £70m-a-year industrial group founded in Newcastle over 80 years ago.
The engineering giant, whose portfolio also includes hydraulic pump and motor manufacturer Rotary Power and clutch and brake maker Stephenson Gobin, recently pulled out of a proposed move from Byker to the former Parsons Works in Heaton, Newcastle. The relocation plans, which would have created up to 100 jobs, were scrapped in August amid fears that the move would jeopardise its position as market leader.
