Exceptional Manufacturer Award

Winnie Chua
Warmup Plc
Tel: 0845-345-2288
Fax: 0845-345-2299
Email: uk@warmup.com

WARMUP NAMED EXCEPTIONAL MANUFACTURER 2007

Warmup has been awarded the prestigious accolade of Exceptional Manufacturer of the Year at this year’s London Passport to Export Awards.

This award goes to a manufacturer or designer who has exceeded expectations in taking their products to international markets and is London's only international business awards programme. The award recognises the successes of the capital's SMEs in trading internationally under UK Trade & Investment's (UKTI) Passport to Export programme.

To win, Warmup demonstrated a clear indication of future plans and commitment to consolidate and/or increase international sales and the company has shown evidence of how an international trade strategy has translated into results.

International director Howard Flood attributes the success to ‘going back to basics’. “We asked ourselves who the decision maker is,” he said. “We made sure we were talking to the right people. We also targeted our sales and marketing materials to explain the benefits of our system and made sure we were attending the right trade shows to gain exposure to those people. We had our brochures and installation manuals translated to make the information even more accessible.”

“Local knowledge is important and so is having people who speak the language,” Flood continued. “The formula we have in the UK does not necessarily work elsewhere. The UK has a big DIY market and people are prepared to spend weekends installing a system whereas in Latin countries we have a network of installers because people don’t want to do it themselves.

“Although they are thought of as warm countries, Spain and Portugal have been very good markets for us. They have a lot of ceramic and marble flooring, which gets cold in winter. With our systems you can take the chill off without having a full central heating system.”

“High service levels are essential. We typically respond to inquiries with an emailed quote within 24 hours. By taking this approach and following these simple procedures we have grown the Spanish market ten fold and the US is 30-40 per cent up.

Even prior to joining Passport to Export, Warmup had already started exporting to Germany and the US. In the past 18 months the company has received orders from 12 further countries. With all of this growth more space was needed. Warmup has moved its headquarters in the UK to larger factory and office premises, where a night shift has been introduced to step up production to keep pace with increased demand. In addition, new sales staff had been hired and more appointments are planned later this year.

Ideal for almost any flooring, Warmup’s extensive range of BEAB-approved heating systems is used in kitchens, bathrooms and conservatories and are backed by industry-leading warranties. Celebrity clients include actor and film director Jackie Chan in Hong Kong and Daryl Worley, a country and western star from Nashville, Tennessee.