Chepstow-based Reid Lifting has been named as one of 20 firms awarded a funding and support package by Heathrow and the Department for International Trade’s ‘Exporting is Great’ Campaign.

The package is designed to encourage the firms to export their goods or services to new international markets.

Through the ‘World of Opportunity Programme’ Heathrow will provide £40,000 for SME trade missions or research into global markets of their choice.

Reid Lifting Limited, which is based at the Newhouse Industrial Estate, Chepstow, will also have access to the personalised advice of an international trade advisor from the Department of International Trade, and a Plaza Premium lounge pass to begin their trip in style as they depart from Heathrow.

The winners of the World Opportunity were announced as a new YouGov survey revealed that 50 per cent of British SMEs which currently export want to increase their export destinations in the next two years until 2019; when Article 50 negotiations are due to complete.

A further 41 per cent of current exporters want to continue exporting as they are in this timeframe.

Reid Lifting's managing director Nick Battersby said: “Heathrow is a key hub for us as we can connect to customers and exhibitions around the world and ship equipment required quickly for urgent projects.

"Heathrow T5 was also a source of inspiration for us in developing the Porta-gantry Rapide – a rapidly deployable gantry system for maintaining baggage handling conveyors – and helped us to win the Queen’s Award for Innovation & International Trade.

"We plan to use the World of Opportunity grant from Heathrow to help us make follow-up trips to Japan where we feel there is great potential for our equipment. Having identified potential partners in the market, we feel the local culture requires investment in ‘getting to know each other’ before committing to what hopefully will be a strong future business relationship.”

The World of Opportunity programme was open from June 16 to July 14 of this year. More than 290 applications were received and the winning entries were chosen by a panel of experts including Heathrow chairman Lord Deighton, DIT’s international trade advisor Keith Moses and Daily Express small business correspondent, Maisha Frost. Reid was the only business from Wales to be successful.

International Trade Minister Mark Garnier said: “The UK has some of the most innovative and ambitious small businesses that have helped exports increase by 11.4 per cent over the last year. It’s clear the potential to export our goods and services is out there and as an international economic department, we will support businesses through partner schemes like this with Heathrow and our international campaigns including Exporting is GREAT to make the most of opportunities as we leave the EU.”

The World of Opportunity Programme is part of a plan to guarantee British businesses benefit from the economic opportunities provided by Heathrow, the UK’s only hub airport. In addition to this Programme, for the past 20 years Heathrow has run a successful series of Business Summits, giving SMEs the opportunity to engage directly with members of the airport’s supply chain and find out more about the opportunities that exist at the airport and around the world. So far, an estimated £93.4 million of new deals have been won as a result of the partnerships formed at the Summits and 2017 marks the first year where Heathrow’s Business Summits have been rolled out across six UK regions.