1. Having helped TG Eakin find a local
distribution partner in Saudi Arabia,
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) then
hosted the UK company on three
trade missions, allowing it to cement
its place in the market.
Despite modern advances in surgical
healthcare, the human body is fragile
even after a successful operation. When
a patient undergoes stoma surgery,
for example, an opening is created
from inside the body to the outside.
This procedure treats diseases of
the digestive or urinary systems, but
a common problem patients face in
daily life after the surgery is an issue of
leakage from their stoma.
Amongst the products designed and
manufactured by medical manufacturer
TG Eakin is a range of skin barriers.
These are fully mouldable adhesives,
which prevent leakage by ensuring that
a good seal is formed between the bag
and the body. TG Eakin’s skin barriers
are made from hydrocolloid, which
means they form a gel in the presence
of water that is essential to maintaining
the seal and protecting the skin from the
harmful contents of the stoma output.
TG Eakin was established by pharmacist
Thomas Eakin in Northern Ireland in
1974. Eakin used his knowledge of
pharmaceutical preparations to create a
substance with a putty-like texture that
can be adapted to any patient’s shape or
size and be fitted comfortably over the
stoma. This was unique in healthcare
at that time, and complimented existing
products such as colostomy bags that
focused on drainage and containment
without skin protection.
“When our founder Thomas Eakin saw
the poor level of skincare available
to stoma patients, he was inspired
to find a better solution,” says Stuart
Menary, Senior International Business
Executive at TG Eakin. “The key was
to provide a flexible seal that could
manage the volume of fluid coming
out of the stoma. Although it is more
common amongst the elderly, stomas
can also be performed on people of any
age including new born babies. It was
therefore essential to create a product
that would work for different skin types,
body shapes and patient lifestyles.”
Nurses know best
Today, TG Eakin’s headquarters and
manufacturing facilities are still based in
Northern Ireland, but it also uses local
distribution partners in over 30 locations
across Europe, the US and Australia. In
2009, the company looked to the Middle
East, in particular Saudi Arabia which
has good levels of access to healthcare
and many English speaking medical staff.
UKTI helps
TG Eakin secure
its presence in
Saudi Arabia
Fast facts
Company: TG Eakin
Industry: Healthcare
Target Market: Saudi Arabia
UKTI Services: Overseas Market Introduction
Service; Trade Missions
www.eakin.eu
“ UKTI helped us to find the
perfect fit and continues
to provide invaluable
administrative and logistical
in-market support”
Stuart Menary, Senior International
Business Executive at TG Eakin

2. Published February 2014
by UK Trade & Investment
© Crown Copyright
Helping you access
international markets
Doing business in another country
can be a challenge, so it’s good to
know that UK Trade Investment is
there to help you succeed.
Through a range of unique services,
including participation at selected
trade fairs, overseas missions
and providing bespoke market
intelligence, UK Trade Investment
can help you crack foreign markets
and quickly get to grips with
regulations and business practices
overseas.
UK Trade Investment’s Overseas
Market Introduction Service (OMIS)
is a flexible business tool, letting you
use the services of our trade teams,
located in our embassies, high
commissions and consulates across
the world, to benefit your business.
A service package could include:
• Market, sector advice
• Analysis of market entry strategies
• Support during overseas visits
• Identification of possible
business partners
UKTI was delighted to support
TG Eakin in its business overseas.
To find an adviser in your
chosen market and begin
your own success story
now, scan this code with
your smartphone,
visit www.ukti.gov.uk/trade,
or email
enquiries@ukti.gsi.gov.uk
UK Trade Investment is the
Government Department that helps
UK-based companies succeed in
the global economy. We also help
overseas companies bring their
high-quality investment to the UK’s
dynamic economy. We provide
companies with the tools they
require to be competitive on the
world stage.
“Operating for a niche medical situation
provides limited opportunity in any one
market,” says Stuart. “We therefore had
to take our product overseas in order
to grow our business. Having found our
place in Europe, the US and Australia,
we broadened our horizons and
looked for similar healthcare markets
in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is a
large market with a relatively Western
approach to healthcare, so it scored
highly on our checklist.”
Permission to trade
Not having worked in a Middle Eastern
market before, TG Eakin sought advice
about doing business in Saudi Arabia
from Invest Northern Ireland, who
introduced it to UKTI in Riyadh. In March
2009, the company commissioned an
Overseas Market Introduction Service
(OMIS) report from UKTI to identify a
local Saudi Arabian distributor. UKTI
came back with the names of 31
potential partners and invited TG Eakin
to join a trade mission to Riyadh that
had been organised for May, during
which it would have the opportunity to
meet the candidates. As a result of these
meetings, the company appointed M/S
Husn Al Emirat Medical as its exclusive
distributor in Saudi Arabia.
Due to TG Eakin’s niche medical
product, industry approval, sales and
relationships take time to develop in
any market. Understanding this, the
company joined three further UKTI
and Invest Northern Ireland Trade
Missions to Saudi Arabia, the most
recent in January 2014, in order to
progress its business there.
With UKTI’s ongoing support, TG Eakin
and M/S Husn Al Emirat Medical have
established strong relationships with six
major government healthcare facilities in
Riyadh and Jeddah and expect further
growth in Saudi Arabia.
“Finding the right local distributor to
actively develop and market our niche
medical product is crucial to our
business model, especially in countries
where English is not the native language,”
says Stuart. “UKTI helped us to find the
perfect fit in M/S Husn Al Emirat Medical
and continues to provide invaluable
administrative and logistical in-market
support in the run up to the trade
missions we join. Our product range is
licensed in Saudi Arabia and available in
four leading reference hospitals, which
most local healthcare professionals
take as an informal approval of quality.
Thanks to UKTI, we are now in a
position to target further growth in Saudi
Arabia and the surrounding region with
increased confidence.”
The UK and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is designated as one of
UKTI’s High Growth Markets, and is the
UK’s second largest export market in the
Middle East after the UAE. Total trade in
goods and services between the UK and
Saudi Arabia in 2012 was £9.98 billion,
with exports from the UK accounting
£3.3 billion of this.
Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing economy is
creating opportunities for both exporters
and investors. These are further boosted
by moves to diversify the economy
away from dependence on oil and gas,
economic reform, market liberalisation
and a growing private sector. There
are opportunities in a range of sectors,
including oil, gas petrochemicals,
financial services, education,
construction and healthcare.
For further information
about business opportunities
in Saudi Arabia, please go to
www.ukti.gov.uk/saudiarabia
“ Thanks to UKTI, we are now in a position to target further
growth in Saudi Arabia and the surrounding region with
increased confidence”
Stuart Menary, Senior International Business Executive at TG Eakin