Staff from a Leicestershire company brushed up their Spanish skills and met with Mexico's UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) advisers on 21st January 2011 in preparation for their trade mission to Mexico City next month.

Mexico is one of the top three emerging markets which is ready and open for business. Jorin Ltd, located in Whetstone, joined four other East Midlands businesses to get the low-down on what to expect from their week long visit in February.

Jorin, which provides consultancy advice to oil companies on the removal of oil from water and manufactures an imaging based oil in water analyser, already operates throughout UK, Europe, Middle East, North America, Far East, Australia and New Zealand, but is keen to explore the Central American market for new opportunities.

Gayathri Ariaratnam, Process Engineering Manager at Jorin, said:

"Mexico has a big oil and gas industry which we are keen to crack. The UKTI support we had on our last trade mission to Malaysia and Singapore was incredibly helpful in identifying potential business partners and we are hoping for similar success in Mexico. I already have meetings lined up with some potential agents and clients in our market sector."

Ian Thompson, UKTI trade adviser, said: "UKTI trade missions are a great way to find out about new markets and make the face to face contacts that will help them to achieve success.

"Mexico is a country full of opportunity and there has never been a better time to consider it as a place to do business. Its economy has demonstrated stable growth and analysts estimate that by 2040 it will be larger than the UK. With its impressive network of Free Trade Agreements (including North America and the EU) and its strategic location in between the USA and Latin America, Mexico has the potential to act as a springboard into the region as well as being an attractive market in its own right."

The briefing took place at the Yew Lodge Hotel in Kegworth.