Salisbury-based Ocean Footprint has won a contract to supply parts to one of Australia’s largest boat builders; this will quadruple the volume of its export sales.

The business, which was founded just last year, already sells 12% of its output overseas and now exports to six countries, including the USA and Singapore.

The firm has worked with the Department for International Trade (DIT) to gain an insight into potential new markets.

Peter Harrison, Ocean Footprint’s (www.oceanfootprint.co.uk) business development manager, said: “British engineering and manufacturing is well regarded for its high quality in the marine industry, which is why exporting was always at the heart of our growth plans.

"We’ve seen great international success, and exporting is now expected to out-perform our sales in the UK. However, there are many things to consider before taking the plunge.

He added: “The differences in the tax, legislation and regulatory landscape are the main things to consider for a business like ours, which is why we got in touch with DIT in the first instance to help us overcome any potential pitfalls.

“All the trade advisers we dealt with have a background in business and understood what we were trying to achieve.

“They also put us in touch with other companies that had already found overseas success, so we could learn from them too. If we can do it, so can many other local firms.”