A Machynlleth manufacturer has secured a string of international contracts worth £2.5 million in West Africa.
Dulas develops and implements renewable energy solutions to support communities in the most rural parts of the world.
Following several new deals, including projects in Burkina Faso and Guinea, the company is eyeing further expansion across the region, which it considers a key target market.
The deals will see Dulas working with local partners for distribution and installation of hundreds of its solar-powered vaccine fridges supporting immunisation programmes across remote communities in Africa.
Established in 1982, the employee-owned shareholding company has over 60 permanent staff at its mid Wales base and last year exceeded £7 million worth of international sales thanks to its export strategy.
Exports account for 60 per cent of Dulas’s trade, with the company exporting its products to over 80 countries and some of the most remote locations across the globe, in regions including Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dulas’s recent success in West Africa comes as a result of exposure in target regions via Welsh Government supported market visits and smaller contract wins, building strong foundations for further trade deals. The company is now looking to build on this success, with additional market visits planned for the region in the next twelve months.
Catherine McLennan, commercial lead at Dulas said: “Our success in West Africa has skyrocketed in recent months thanks to our increased presence in those target regions. The market visits have been particularly useful for us, with on the ground exposure leading directly to new local partnerships.
“The support and advice from the Welsh Government has been instrumental to our exporting success. They have helped to raise brand awareness for us in new regions and have provided access to new and relevant market knowledge that have helped us innovate.”
Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language said: “Dulas is a shining example of a Welsh business that is flourishing in overseas markets, while providing vital innovative products including solar powered vaccine fridges to remote locations across the globe including in Latin America and Africa.”