September 21st, 2010
Europlus Direct goes for growth in Africa with office openings
By Ros Snowdon
IT company Europlus Direct is to expand its operations in Africa with the opening of three new offices in Mozambique, Senegal and Angola in 2011.
The Saltaire-based company, which offers telemarketing and IT services, is working with IBM in Africa.
As part of the expansion plans Europlus Direct will provide IBM spare parts for local IBM business partners and promote IBM maintenance services
ADVERTISEMENTthrough these business partners.
The extension of the partnership with IBM will result in Europlus Direct opening new offices in Mozambique, Senegal and Angola by the beginning of 2011.
In addition, new business in Madagascar will be run through the group’s existing operation in Mauritius and business in Mauritania will be run through the proposed office in Senegal.
Europlus Direct’s chief executive Jim Hart said he was very pleased about the expansion of the business
“We are already successfully supplying local Mauritian business partners with IBM spare parts and promoting IBM maintenance services,” he said.
“We are very pleased that we will now be able to offer the same services to business partners in another five African countries.”
Europlus Direct also runs an operation in South Africa, promoting IBM maintenance services to South African IBM business partners.
Europlus Direct is based in Saltaire in the UK and has offices in Australia, Spain, South Africa and Mauritius.
It has over five years’ experience as an outsourced sales and marketing operation for IBM Global Services, supplying IBM maintenance to IBM business partners, distributors and end-users across the globe.
Europlus Direct is part of the TEMA Group.
TEMA offers globalisation services to UK businesses that are looking to expand their business geographically into European and global markets. The services include multilingual telemarketing, translation, multilingual recruitment and multilingual website building.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
September 21st, 2010
Firm is heading to Africa
By James Rush
A Saltaire-based telemarketing and IT company aims to extend its African adventure as it opens new offices in Mozambique, Senegal, Angola, Madagascar and Mauritania.
Europlus Direct, part of the TEMA Group, will provide IBM spare parts for local IBM business partners and promote IBM Maintenance Services through the business partners.
The extension of its already successful partnership with IBM will result in the new African offices being opened by the beginning of next year.
The business in Madagascar and Mauritania will be run through the existing operation in Mauritius.
Jim Hart, chief executive of Europlus Direct, which holds its UK head office in Salts Mill, said he was pleased about the expansion and happy to extend the business.
He said: “We are already successfully supplying local Mauritian business partners with IBM spare parts and promoting IBM Maintenance Services.
“We are very pleased that we will now be able to offer the same services to business partners in another five African countries.”
Europlus Direct also runs an operation in South Africa, promoting IBM Maintenance Services to South African IBM business partners. The business has more than five years experience as a leading out-sourced sales and marketing operation IBM Global Services, supplying IBM Maintenance to IBM business partners, distributors and end-users across the globe. In 2008 the firm received a royal seal of approval when it was presented with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise by the Duke of Kent.
The Duke of Kent said Europlus had won recognition in record time and was one of only 200 recipients that year, out of more than 1,300 applicants.
It gained its Queen’s Award for the first time in the International Trade Category for increasing exports by 610 per cent to £2 million in the previous three years.
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk
April 20st, 2008
The Queen of achievements
by Chris Holland
Two Bradford companies are among 15 firms in the Yorkshire region to win royal recognition for their business achievements. Both are based in the Salts Mill complex at Saltaire and both are technology-based companies which have received awards in the International Trade category.
Pace Micro Technology is a leading designer and producer of set-top boxes for the digital TV industry while Europlus Direct Ltd is a 30-strong firm which provides information technology services on behalf of IT hardware manufacturers. Other local winners in the International Trade category include: l Yeadon-based Haztec International Limited, which makes emergency services vehicle warning equipment.l Xiros plc, of Leeds, a designer and manufacturer of innovative implantable devices for use in orthopaedic and sports medicine has also been recognised with an Innovation award. l Leach Colour Ltd, of Huddersfield, has developed a magnetic graphic display system for use in retail stores and commercial interiors. l Carpet tile manufacturer InterfaceFLOR, of Halifax has received a Sustainable Development award for continuous achievement in pursuit of its aim to eliminate the negative environmental impact of its processes by 2020.
Four years ago the Queen’s Awards introduced an individual prize for Enterprise Promotion. Among this year’s recipients Brian Dunsby, a Harrogate-based entrepreneur who has helped others to start in business. The Yorkshire region has achieved its highest number of Queen’s Awards for a decade. Nationally, a total of 139 business awards and 11 individual awards have been conferred this year.
Winning a Queen’s Award is the icing on the cake for Pace which, after some turbulent times, is on course for further expansion. The firm’s shareholders have approved a £63m takeover of the French set-top box business of Philips, which puts Pace at the forefront in this expanding global sector. Last year the company trebled profits to £15m and a major restructure by new management led by Neil Gaydon has put the business closer to its international customers across the world. Pace wins the Award for the second time for increasing its exports by 251 per cent over three years to £335m, which in the final year represented 81 per cent of total sales.
Over the past three years, Pace has won new business in Germany, South Africa, Canada and Turkey and grown its operations in the US, winning business with the two largest payTV operators in the world.
Chief executive Neil Gaydon said: “Winning the Queens Award for International Trade is testament to the tremendous work that has taken place at Pace over the last three years in broadening our international customer base and creating the best portfolio of pay TV customers in the world.
“We had a long-term strategy to break into the US, the largest pay TV market in the world.
“Two established suppliers had dominated the region, creating high technological barriers to entry, and causing other global consumer electronics companies that had tried to enter the market to fail.
“We took the time to adapt our technology for the US market, developed new software that bypassed some of the barriers and developed strong relationships with the key players.
“Now over half our revenues come from the US, which helped treble our profits in 2007.”
It was its founder’s language ability that started the firm on its way to achieving a royal accolade. When IT expert Jim Hart was made redundant, his ability to speak French helped him win work selling IT systems in that country from which he established Europlus Direct four years ago. The company provides IT sales and marketing services solely for IBM and has gained an award for the first time in the International Trade Category for increasing exports by 610 per cent to £2m in the past three years. The firm sells post-warranty maintenance packages to IBM. The 30-strong firm, which employs staff of 11 different nationalities, expects its exports to double again by the end of the year. About 80 per cent of its services are exported and it trades in 20 countries with France, Germany and Spain accounting for 60 per cent of overseas sales. It has ambitious growth plans and is in the process of setting up subsidiary offices in the US and Australia.
According to Jim Hart, a key factor contributing company’s success is its multi-lingual staff. Each employee is required to speak foreign languages to a native standard in order to communicate effectively with clients. Jim said: “I am extremely proud that Europlus Direct has been recognised with such a prestigious award, particularly as we have only been established a little over three years.
“It is a reflection of the hard work and talent of our team and demonstrates that our dynamic business strategy is spot on.
“With the royal seal of approval for we are confident that we will continue to outperform our competitors and the market and that 2008 will be another record year.”
Sandy Needham, chief executive, of Bradford Chamber of Commerce said: “It’s great to see this young, dynamic company leading the way in business and developing its export sales so rapidly. “The drive and hard work of Jim Hart and the Europlus Direct team are impressive and we’re delighted that the company is being recognised with this prestigious award.”
Haztec was founded in 2002 by Bryn Tennant and employs 28 people producing and supplying emergency warning equipment for police, ambulance, fire and rescue services. It supplies equipment such as lighting, sirens and warning beacons, pictured, to customers around the world, including Hong Kong, Korea and Australia. Mr Tennant said design and development is a priority to enable Haztec remain at the forefront of technology. He said: “We take care to ensure that our products meet the strict testing and certification requirements as required in many countries.
Queen’s Award Magazine 2008
Europlus Direct
Europlus Direct specialises in sales and marketing services on behalf of IBM, ensuring that customers’ hardware and software are continually under the support of IBM Global Services. Its first contract was with IBM France in 2004, since then it has expanded to provide IT sales and marketing services across Europe with main markets in France, Spain, Germany and Italy. It has ambitious growth plans and is in the process of setting up subsidiary offices in the US and Australia.
Head-quartered in West Yorkshire, Europlus Direct employs over 30 different staff representing eleven different nationalities. Over 80% of its sales are exports into Europe so multi-lingual staff have been a key factor in the company’s success.
A sister company, The European Marketing Agency (TEMA), has recently been launched to assist UK companies in achieving their international business goals. Services offered include multilingual website build, European SEO, direct marketing, European PR and international brand strategy. Drawing on the expertise of over 30 European native language speakers highly adept in marketing and sales, TEMA is geared towards providing effective marketing that ensures a real return on investment.
October 24th, 2008
Creative centre opens
A new flagship Creative Arts Building was officially
unveiled yesterday at Huddersfield University by the Duke of Kent.
It will be home for students of music and music technology, fashion, creative imaging, multimedia, and business design awareness. It also houses a cube-shaped acoustic lab, where manager Mark Bokowiec is seen at work.
During a visit to West Yorkshire yesterday the Duke also presented a Queen’s Award for innovation to photography firm Leach Colour Ltd, in Bradley, Huddersfield, and a Queens Award for export to Europlus Direct, an IT business, in Saltaire. His last port of call was Ginetta Cars, in Garforth, Leeds, where he saw racing car developments.
March 23rd, 2008
Queen’s Award helps West Yorkshire company towards new European contract |
| With just over a month remaining until the closing deadline at midnight on 31 October for next year’s Awards, there is still time for businesses of all sizes across the region to show they too have what it takes to be credited as among the UK’s business elite. Europlus Direct was one of 12 regional winners of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2008 – the highest number in Yorkshire and Humber for a decade. |
| Winning The Queen’s Award for Enterprise this year has opened the door to a large new contract with Europe for Saltaire company Europlus Direct, and attracted the attention of two US companies with whom the company is currently in discussion.
With just over a month remaining until the closing deadline at midnight on 31 October for next year’s Awards, there is still time for businesses of all sizes across the region to show they too have what it takes to be credited as among the UK’s business elite. Europlus Direct was one of 12 regional winners of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2008 – the highest number in Yorkshire and Humber for a decade. Managing Director Jim Hart said: “Since winning The Queen’s Award for Enterprise we have secured a large new European contract and I have no doubt that this was due in no small part to the kudos of association with such a prestigious Award. It really does both catch the eye of potential clients, and inspire their confidence. “The increased credibility has also helped us to launch a new company, The European Marketing Agency – and opened the doors for us to some very large businesses locally who, I have found, are themselves very interested in applying so this has been a good starting point for our business discussions.” At a time where the competitive edge makes a real difference, market recognition of Award holders is an unmistakeable advantage in both home and overseas markets. Fifteen companies from Yorkshire and Humber were among the 136 companies large and small to be recognised with a Queen’s Award in April 2008 by Her Majesty The Queen. Success in one or more of the three business categories of Award, for International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development, recognises the outstanding achievement and high standards assessed by an independent panel of experts. Stephen Brice, Secretary to the Queen’s Awards Office, said: “The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is perceived by 55% of winners as the single most valuable business award, the ultimate accolade. But it’s more than just something to feel proud about, the benefits are tangible and real, such as higher profile in home markets or increased recognition overseas, an increase in sales – as much as 60% improvement as a direct result of gaining the Award has been reported by one previous winner – and many feel it gives them a definite edge over their business rivals.” Winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise also gives a huge boost to staff morale and promotes a new pride in their work. And 20% of companies surveyed said that having the Award had helped them attract top staff. Whichever way you look at it, applying for a Queen’s Award for Enterprise is a positive move for your business and all you have to do is fill in the online application form at http://www.queensawards.org.uk before midnight on 31 October 2008. Companies can apply in more than one category and can hold more than one Award at any time. There is no limit to the number of times you apply or the number of Awards you may hold. It’s a fantastic marketing tool as winners are entitled to use the Queen’s Award emblem on their premises, publications and products for five years – so one application can secure many years of high profile branding awareness for your organisation.” The 31 October deadline is also the last chance for nominations for The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, which rewards those inspirational people who have made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of enterprise skills and attitudes in others. Unlike the business Awards, for which a direct application can be made, people must be nominated for The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, for example, by colleagues, associates or beneficiaries of their work.
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Awards praise for Yorkshire innovation
QUEEN’S award bosses hailed the success of innovative Yorkshire firms when they visited the county yesterday.
Two representatives from the awards visited several businesses including an animal feed firm and a technology company. David Moore, secretary to the Prime Minister’s advisory committee on the Queen’s Awards, said Saltaire-based Europlus Direct’s success in marketing to France could be an example to others.
Europlus, specialists in the marketing and registration of IBM ServicePacs and IBM services, won the Queen’s Award for international trade after increasing its exports fivefold to £2m over three years.
Mr Moore said: “Europlus exemplify a company which was successful using the EU as a market.” Managing director of Europlus Jim Hart said firms should not be put off by the apparent complexities of entering a foreign market.
Mr Moore also visited dyes specialist James Robinson, of Huddersfield, a winner in 2006.
Queen’s Awards secretary Stephen Brice met Steve Puckering, managing director of Advanced New Technologies (ANT) in Hull, as well as Hugh Facey of Sheffield joiner and tensioner firm Gripple.
Both businesses were honoured this year.
Mr Brice and Mr Moore jointly visited I’Anson Bros (Holdings), a Masham animal feed firm, which won an award this year, and Fastalloys of Dewsbury, a 2006 winner.