Export Champion: Clark Door Limited
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the stories of some of Cumbria’s Export Champions to inspire and showcase the benefits of expanding your business overseas to drive growth. In this series, we’ll look at some of the key considerations for any business looking to expand to trade internationally, and explain how the Department of International Trade (DIT) can support you and your business at every stage of the export process.
Clark Door Limited, headquartered in Carlisle, is a leading innovator in the design, manufacture, installation and service of custom designed, high performance, acoustic, fire-rated and temperature-controlled doors.
Last year, Clark Door was awarded the Queen’s Award for International Trade 2020, a feat that has not gone unnoticed and widely considered as the highest honour for outstanding achievement by UK businesses. An incredibly proud moment for the Clark Door team and a tremendous endorsement of the company’s commitment to its international markets.
Clark Door’s has went on a journey from having virtually no exports 10 years ago to growth in international trade to a level which now represents 50% of the business. The company now exports to over 45 countries worldwide, working with some of the world’s most eminent architects and providing innovative door solutions to some of the most prestigious projects such as DAICEC, Mumbai, India, King Abdul-Aziz Centre for World Culture, Damam, Saudi Arabia, The New National Museum, Oslo, Norway and The Shed, New York City, USA.
The team has risen to the challenge of working across the globe, with technical products, ensuring that their door solutions can meet stringent local standards. We have gained support from mentors within DIT on issues such as Trademarking and Finance. Without this support we would not have been able to win many of the orders we have early on our export growth journey.
Based in Cumbria since 1973, the company reaffirmed its commitment to investment in facilities and people, investing over £3million on a factory expansion and building a high bay R&D Centre in 2020, and adding 20% staff to its workforce during the Covid-19 period. It has bold ambitions for its future underpinned by UK and international growth.
Clark Door would recommend that any business wishing to sell their products overseas should contact DIT to learn more about the journey to exporting.
For information and assistance on trading internationally, please get in touch with our Export Manager, Sarah Peak, who joins our team on secondment from the DIT. She can help with any enquires you may have and enable your business to export and grow into global markets: sarah.peak@tradenw.org.