ENGINEER Houghton International has scooped one of its biggest single export orders with a company in South America.

The Walker-based firm already exports to 14 countries worldwide but was assisted by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) in setting up a deal with Venezuela’s Sidelco.

The deal is valued at around £127,000 and sees Sidelco place an order for Houghton International’s Hi Flex coil system.

The companies met at the Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA) international trade show in Denver back in June, which Houghton International attended with assistance from UKTI.

Houghton International’s technical account manager Stuart Whitfield said: “The interest we had at the EASA show was phenomenal, with $500,000 worth of enquiries from this show alone. Prospective clients were coming to see us every day – many of whom were from South and Central America.

“It helped us realise that there is huge potential in these markets, so we’re already developing plans to build on this.

"We’ve started to translate our website and brochure into Spanish and UKTI are helping us by providing funding towards translation costs and country profiles so that we can understand better how to do business in these new markets.