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The Brighton-based firm will supply cutting-edge microscopy
systems to a medical school in Saudi Arabia
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UKEF's Small Export
Builder allows small businesses to obtain export
insurance with a credit limit of up to £25,000 and build up
to £100,000 as they establish a positive trading history with
buyers
Digital Pixel, a Brighton-based pioneer in advanced microscopy
systems, has successfully entered the Saudi Arabian market with
insurance from UK Export Finance (UKEF) - the government's export
credit agency.
For over two decades, Digital Pixel has been at the cutting edge
of scientific imaging research, supplying advanced microscopy
incubation technology - which enables the observation of live
cells under the microscope - to prestigious institutions
including Cancer Research UK, and the Universities of Cambridge,
Oxford, Heidelberg and Paris. The four-person business has been
exporting for 15 years across the UK, Europe and Australia.
Presented with the opportunity to supply parts for a
high-resolution microscope in a medical school in Saudi Arabia -
a market where they had no trading relationship - the business
struggled to obtain commercial insurance.
The company applied for UKEF's Export Insurance Policy with an
initial credit limit of £12,150. This made Digital Pixel
automatically eligible for UKEF's Small Export Builder (SEB).
SEB allows small businesses in all sectors to obtain export
insurance with a credit limit of up to £25,000 and build up to
£100,000 in 50% increments, as they establish a positive trading
history with their overseas buyers. This approach has given
Digital Pixel the confidence to secure the contract in Saudi
Arabia.
Lisa Maddison-Brown, UKEF's Export Finance Manager for
Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex, said:
Digital Pixel's success demonstrates exactly why we created the
Small Export Builder – to help smaller businesses access new
markets with confidence.
The beauty of this facility is that it grows with the business,
allowing them to build trading relationships incrementally whilst
managing risk effectively.
Digital Pixel's international growth continues, as the company
expects to reach £250,000 in export sales this financial year.
Dr Leslie Patrick Vanderpant, Co-owner of Digital Pixel,
said:
As a small business, taking on a new buyer in an unfamiliar
market involved risks we simply couldn't manage alone. UKEF's
Small Export Builder has given us the confidence to expand our
trading relationships and take on orders from clients in markets
that are new to us.
This contract represents our first foothold in the Middle East
and could pave the way for further expansion in the region.
The SEB is part of UKEF's enhanced business support announced in
the government's Trade Strategy, designed to make export
protection more accessible to smaller businesses seeking
financial security when trading internationally. Digital Pixel's
success in breaking into the Middle East marks a significant
milestone for the company and demonstrates how UKEF is supporting
SMEs at the cutting edge of UK innovation to compete globally.
Over the last financial year, UKEF provided a record £14.5
billion in new financing, helping over 667 UK companies to export
and grow, supporting up to 70,000 jobs across the country.
