Award-winning Powys manufacturer, Mangar Health, is set to place a significant drive on exports as part of its ambitious growth strategy.
Exports already account for a fifth of the firm’s sales and have played a key role in helping it achieve record-breaking turnover of more than £10m in the last year. Now, Mangar is looking to double its export revenues in the next three years and increase its international presence by expanding its US operations and entering Japanese markets.
Presteigne-based Mangar Health, which employs 72 people, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and supply of inflatable moving and handling bathing equipment used to help disabled and elderly people.
The aids, which include bath lifts, pillow lifts and emergency lifting cushions, are used to assist with everyday tasks including getting in and out of bed, taking a bath and lifting individuals who have fallen over.
Established in 1981, Mangar was originally founded by retired engineer David Garman after he sought a solution for an elderly relative who was struggling to move in and out of the bath. Inventing the world’s first powered bath lift, David quickly discovered a huge demand for such products, both in the UK and overseas, and Mangar Health was born. An international outlook quickly followed.
UK and overseas demand
Fast forward forty years and Mangar has brought more than 40 products to market and has exported to over 14 countries across the globe. International sales make up around a fifth of Mangar’s trade with America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and European nations forming its largest markets and key international clients including Ambulance Victoria in Australia, British Columbia Ambulance Service and the Red Cross in Germany.
And within the UK, Mangar’s equipment can be found in thousands of care homes and private residential settings, as well as being used by the emergency services in every local authority across the country.
Welsh Government support, accessed through Business Wales, has been key to Mangar’s successful export drive. The company has received help from Business Wales to conduct market research and source distributors in prospective territories. Most recently, Mangar has secured contracts in France and Italy following help identifying business opportunities within the regions from Business Wales advisors.
Focus on export expansion
Now Mangar is looking to accelerate its export drive to continue its business growth and aims to double its export revenues to £2.5m in the next three years.
The firm is looking to expand its current sales in the US by entering the lucrative veteran healthcare market, worth more than $250 billion annually, and has also set its sights on Japan as its next target market.
It has already completed initial research into Japan’s demographic and healthcare model through a Welsh Government International Trade Development programme and attended a Welsh Government trade mission to the country in September, where it met with a number of potential distributors.
Clare Birt, marketing director at Mangar Health, said: “As our products are already being used by every ambulance service and local authority in the UK, looking at international markets was the logical next step for us to continue our growth as a business.
“Exports offer huge potential as the challenges faced by an aging population, that our products address, are consistent worldwide. Over the last few years we have revised our export strategy to actively target key distributors in our territories and have some exciting prospects going forward, notably the Veteran market in the US and breaking into Japan – a new territory for us.
“Welsh Government support has been invaluable in developing our export strategy and will be crucial to breaking into Japan. In September we attended a trade mission in the country which has helped to inform our future marketing strategies and plans going forward.”
For more information on Mangar Health, visit https://mangarhealth.com/uk/