No Slip-up with Wallis Import - 1st June 2001

Colchester-based Wallis Shipping has won a new contract to import a product which could cut accidents at work, and save employers an estimated £300m in lost working days.

Linking up with new Suffolk firm FibreGrid, Wallis is importing a revolutionary non-slip, anti-corrosive covering for steps and walkways. SlipGrip can be fixed to concrete, steel and wood surfaces, and is able to withstand virtually every industrial spill or hazard. Wallis Shipping clinched the deal after a recommendation from Business Link Suffolk.

Business Link Suffolks' International Trade Adviser, Roger Baker, was approached by FibreGrid for assistance and, amongst other services they provided, Business Link recommended several freight companies including Wallis Shipping.

Finding the right level of expertise for the job had proved difficult for FibreGrid.

As Managing Director Rob Cousin explains: "We asked a number of so-called import specialists for assistance, without success. Wallis Shipping is undoubtedly the most professional and experienced team we have met, whose knowledge of the import business is second to none".

Wallis Shipping, part of the WSS Group, will handle all import documentation for FibreGrid, as well as the letter of credit, complicated financial procedures and the logistics of bringing SlipGrip from China, to a UK-wide market.