TALL Security Print supply secure ballot papers for UK and international elections and have just won a new £330,000 export deal to supply two million high-school diplomas to Kenya following support from UK Export Finance.
TALL sells secure paper products such as educational certificates, cheques and ballot papers from their headquarters in Cheshire. As part of the company’s ambition to grow its international sales, TALL won an order to sell secure high school diploma certificates to the Kenyan National Examination Council.
The council wanted to counter the many fraudulently printed education certificates in circulation and the security features often used to prevent fraud in elections, including holograms, heat-sensitive spots and latent image technology were the perfect fit.
TALL would usually seek payment guarantee via an Irrevocable Letter of Credit. However, this wasn’t available on this contract and TALL was unable to secure credit insurance via the private market. TALL turned to UK Export Finance and its Export Insurance Policy scheme. This provided TALL with the insurance they needed to help them fulfil their contract.
UKEF’s support for TALL Security Print comes as total UK exports to Kenya reached £785 million over the last 12 months and with government-backed export finance support growing in Africa. UKEF has provided almost £2 billion of financing to support exports to Africa in the last two years.
Bill Lamb, Group Finance Director at TALL Group, said:
“This support from UKEF was absolutely critical. It gave us the confidence to be able to proceed and build our relationship with a new client. We have just received a further contract from the Kenyan National Examination Council, meaning that that one insurance policy from UKEF could enable a great deal more future business.”
Kevin Ledwith, UKEF Export Finance Manager for North West England, added:
“There is a world of opportunity out there for companies across the North-West. Businesses that export are more productive and profitable than those that don’t, which helps to create more jobs and increase prosperity. UKEF can help businesses win orders, fulfil contracts and get paid, and I was delighted to help TALL to continue their exporting journey.”
While a great part of its business is domestic, notably supplying ballot papers for the recent General and European elections, exporting has become increasingly crucial for TALL. Indeed, it was recently named as a Northern Powerhouse Export Champion, an initiative that promotes the sharing of knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for exporting across the north of England.
With the increase in turnover thanks to this latest deal, and the promise of repeat business from this client, TALL hope to further grow their international business to over 20% of their turnover, entering new markets across Africa and the Caribbean.