A government minister has seen how Sussex is spearheading the country’s export-led recovery. Trade minister Lord Green visited Ricardo in Shoreham and Epic in Brighton

The visit marked the beginning of Export Week, a national campaign to get more companies exporting. Ricardo is a world leader in the development of clean, lowcarbon automotive technology.

The company has just received an offer of funding through the Regional Growth Fund for the development of a state of the art vehicle emission research centre. Epic employs 130 staff. It is a leading UK provider of e-learning and mobile learning technologies. Just a year after launching its first international office in Brazil it announced it was to expand to the United States and opened a new office in New York this month.

Both companies receive support from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) South East. UKTI is a government agency that works with businesses to help them find export markets.

Mark Garrett, an executive director of Ricardo, said: “I was pleased to be able to welcome Lord Green. Exports are crucial to our success, with over half of our business derived from overseas customers.”

Jonathan Satchell, the chief executive of Epic said: “I’m delighted with the success of our expansion to Brazil. Coupled with our strong growth in the UK the time is right for us to bring our award-winning learning design to new clients in the United States.”

UKTI international trade adviser Lev Denker said: “Lord Green’s visit highlights the success both companies are having in overseas markets. Both prove that with planning, research and a strategic approach to exporting, jobs can be created locally for the long- term. Last year more than 1,500 South East companies took advantage of the wide range of support UKTI offers, but we want more businesses to take advantage.”