Hockley International’s formula for global success

A new era is dawning for Northwest chemicals firm Hockley International which now sells its leading brand insecticides, pesticides and other chemicals to 90 countries.

Later this year, the family-owned business will relocate from Stockport to a purpose-built office near Manchester Airport which is double the size of its existing premises.

But the move - which has been a year in the planning - is intended to facilitate further growth as the company looks to help even more developing nations with their agricultural programmes.

Founder and managing director Frank Howard said: "We’ve grown consistently over the past decade and, despite the economic climate, we have taken on extra staff during the last year.

"Some time ago, we embarked on the Northwest Regional Development Agency’s (NWDA) ‘high-growth programme’ - which has been a fantastic help to companies across the region.

"We were assigned an experienced consultant who came in to see us and provided constructive advice on how to keep growing.

"One of the issues which was identified was that our existing offices were at capacity and that was why we decided that the time was now right to invest in the purpose-built premises.

"I hope that this will introduce an exciting new era for the company - and will help us move to the next level."

Hockley International has grown organically ever since Mr Howard established the company in the spare bedroom of his Stockport home in 1979.

Its ever-increasing global presence helps the company routinely achieve growth in sales - and it is now targeting the £20m threshold.

Indeed, around 90 percent of Hockley International’s business is now through exporting.

Its biggest selling lines are agricultural insecticides, weed killers and fungicides - which are predominantly sold to third world countries - and there is also a small industrial chemicals division.

Its insecticides are used by governments and non-governmental organisations around the world to control flying insects such as mosquitoes as well as to de-louse animals.

Mr Howard adds: "Our products safeguard the health of crops, people and animals everywhere.

"It is our intention to keep growing the business in a sustainable way - and to make a real difference to agriculture, animal health, public health and industry in more and more countries worldwide.

"Over the past year, we have started exporting to Uganda and the Ivory Coast for the first time - and we are hoping to start in Zambia in the near future.

"Before we can start selling pesticides or other products in any new country, we first of all have to get our products licensed there.

"This process can take anything from a few months to years - and opening up new export opportunities is always the culmination of a great deal of hard work."

When asked whether there is a ‘recipe’ for exporting success, Mr Howard replies that being able to ‘communicate fully’ with a client when brokering a deal is of fundamental importance.

Accordingly, his sales and marketing team speak Spanish, French, German and Dutch between them.

He adds: "If a member of our team can’t speak the language then it is always wise to employ a translator.

"Another reason for the success of our export programme is because our export prices are always for goods delivered to the port or airport nearest our customer.

"That simplifies the process from both our perspective and that of our client.

"They know exactly how much they will pay us and they can then take care of any additional value added tax, import duty, other fees and the cost of local transportation.”

Mr Howard is also very positive about the future of the North West’s chemical sector.

"Sir William Henry Perkins began manufacturing the first dye here in the Northwest in the mid-1800s, and, as a region, we’ve never looked back since.

"In fact, I think that it’s quite fair to say that this region has acted as a nursery for the chemicals industry.

"Chemicals Northwest, which is funded by the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA), has done an immense amount to promote the sector in recent years - and I hope that it continues following the cut-backs.

"And, going forward, I think it’s equally important that the academic expertise which is present in this area is made more available - it’s a phenomenal resource which would be an enormous help to companies if they were able to tap into it."