Wilson Agri wins new export business in Hungary
Wilson Agri has won business worth more than £150,000 from Hungary for its innovative cow cubicles and mattresses that have been designed to offer dairy cows in particular greater comfort and safety and thereby higher returns for farmers.
The company, which has its sales and marketing base in Bristol and a manufacturing operation at Coleraine in Northern Ireland, is supplying cubicles and mattresses to farms in Hungary through a dealer in Budapest.
The agreement, the company’s first business in central Europe, was signed during a recent visit to Hungary and Slovenia by the company, which sells its range of products throughout Britain and Europe. The breakthrough deal in Hungary was assisted by UK Trade and Investment commercial staff in Budapest.
The export success was announced by Andrew Wilson, Wilson Agri’s Managing Director, who said: “The contract that we’ve won in Hungary is the outcome of a conscious decision by the company to focus on export business for growth. While Great Britain is now and will remain our core market we believe there are tremendous opportunities abroad and particularly in Europe and other regions including where dairying is expanding.
“This conviction has been strengthened by business for cow mattresses that we’ve also won recently in Indonesia. As a result of this commitment to exports, sales abroad now contribute 70 per cent of our business.
“Hungary looks likely to become another important market for us because of the size of dairy farms there and the work underway to develop the agri-food industry there. Our cubicles and mattresses attracted the interest of dairy industry representatives there because of unique features designed to provide maximum comfort for dairy cows. Research shows that comfortable conditions lead to more productive cows in terms of both milk yield and quality.”
Hungary, which has a population of 10 million and a strong trading tradition, is now well-established as one of the most successful in the region for UK companies, purchasing products and services worth more than £4 billion in 2010, up 30 per cent on the year before.
While it has also been adversely affected by the global downturn and credit issues, there are still significant opportunities developing from the Hungarian governments continued efforts to modernise various aspects of the economy including agriculture.
Hungary, in addition, provides a solid platform for businesses to develop opportunities in neighbouring markets including Austria, Croatia, Slovakia and the Ukraine.
Wilson Agri, a family-owned and run business was formed in 1995 to manufacture products including cow cubicles. It currently employs seven people at its manufacturing operation near Coleraine. The company’s longstanding commitment to R&D has resulted in a series of innovative products including the unique ‘moovApillow’, a soft, adjustable, plastic arch that replaces concrete and offers cows greater comfort when lying in a cubicle.
For further information email Wilson Agriculture