A Lowton company who design and manufacture security bollards have seen their international business increase more than ten-fold since seeking help from UK Trade & Investment.

ATG Access manufacture everything from residential bollards to protect private homes to the high-tech, anti-terrorist bollards used to safeguard the Houses of Parliament, Embassies and Consulates, football stadiums, stations and airports including Heathrow, Ebbsfleet Eurostar stations and the newly refurbished St Pancras.

Recently they secured a six figure contract to design and install 36 high security automatic bollards to protect the Malaysian Prime Ministers Office, and in the last two years have increased their export turnover from £50,000 three years ago, with contracts in 15 countries including Australia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, USA, the Netherlands and Belgium.

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The company were set up in 1989 but until recently did very little exporting. The original owner of the company came up with the idea to manufacture basic, manual bollards after his neighbour's car was stolen from the drive, but they soon expanded the range and became the UK market leader in their field, supplying automated traffic management bollards for all major UK cities and security bollards to everyone from BNFL to English Heritage.

Having dominated the UK market ATG Access decided to look seriously at exports, and Business Development Manager Gavin Hepburn signed up for Passport to Export, UKTI's flagship scheme for new and inexperienced exporters.

(JM)