An award-winning Machynlleth manufacturer has secured a string of international contracts worth £2.5 million in West Africa, thanks to Welsh Government support.
Machynlleth-based company Dulas develops and implements renewable energy solutions to support communities in the most rural parts of the world. Following several new deals, including projects in Burkina Faso and Guinea, the company is eyeing further expansion across the region, which it considers a key target market.
The deals will see Dulas working with local partners for distribution and installation of hundreds of its solar-powered vaccine fridges supporting immunisation programmes across some of the most remote communities in Africa.
Established in 1982, the employee-owned shareholding company has over 60 permanent staff at its mid Wales base and last year exceeded £7 million worth of international sales thanks to its export strategy.
Exports account for 60% of Dulas’s trade, with the company exporting its products to over 80 countries and some of the most remote locations across the globe, in regions including Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dulas’s recent success in West Africa comes as a result of exposure in target regions via Welsh Government supported market visits and smaller contract wins, building strong foundations for further trade deals. The company is now looking to build on this success, with additional market visits planned for the region in the next twelve months.
In recognition of its exporting achievements, the company was recently awarded SME Exporter of the Year at the Wales Business Awards – an event organised by Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid. The category, which was sponsored by the Welsh Government, was presented at a ceremony in May by Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language.
Catherine McLennan, commercial lead at Dulas said: “Our success in West Africa has skyrocketed in recent months thanks to our increased presence in those target regions. The market visits have been particularly useful for us, with on the ground exposure leading directly to new local partnerships.”
The company’s exports have been strengthened in recent years thanks to research and development support it has received from the Welsh Government to enhance its product portfolio and meet stringent PQS accreditation from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Meeting these standards enables Dulas to continue to supply solar vaccine refrigeration systems to communities across the world.
Catherine continued: “The support and advice from the Welsh Government has been instrumental to our exporting success. They have helped to raise brand awareness for us in new regions and have provided access to new and relevant market knowledge that have helped us innovate.
“The primary challenge with our exports is the logistical issues of getting our products to their final destinations. Our products are needed in the most remote locations and often have to be delivered by plane, boat, truck and even by hand to reach what we refer to as ‘the last mile’.
“It is vital for our business that we have in-country partners with expert local knowledge, and the Welsh Government has helped us to secure new partnerships that allow us to expand our networks and deliver our life-saving products to those that need them the most.”
Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language said: “Dulas is a shining example of a Welsh business that is flourishing in overseas markets, while providing vital innovative products including solar powered vaccine fridges to remote locations across the globe including in Latin America and Africa. I am pleased that Welsh Government export support provided to the company, as part of our Export Action Plan, has contributed to their success and I was proud to present them with their well-deserved SME Exporter of the Year award at the Wales Business Awards.”
