The East Anglia Trade Minister, Lord Livingston, has pledged his support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the East of England on his first visit to the region since his appointment in 2013.

The news follows the recent announcement that every SME in the country will be offered tailored export advice alongside an intensive programme of support, helping them to break into new markets and start exporting products and services abroad. The UKTI has provided evidence that exporters perform better with government assistance and, on average, medium-sized businesses can increase their sales by £1.8 million through exports alone.

Medium-sized businesses in the UK provide 20 percent of the UK’s employment and turnover, yet only 17 percent of these firms generate income from outside the EU, compared with 25 percent in Germany and 30 percent in Italy. Patrick Phelan, Managing Director for Aquaterra Energy, said: “There is a huge amount of potential for UK companies in the export market and Aquaterra Energy’s own experiences are testament to this.

“Our specialist engineering skills and experience are highly prized across the globe and demand for our products and services has more than doubled in the past year. British engineering as a whole is well respected and in high demand, and we are exporting our skills as far afield as Africa, USA and Asia-Pacific.”