A Worcestershire company which specialises in tuning software for cars is eyeing up markets in Brazil and China after successfully increasing the value of its exports outside Europe from five per cent to 35 per cent in just 18 months.

Viezu Technologies, which is based in Bromsgrove, has harnessed the support of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) in sourcing opportunities abroad - especially in Japan, Singapore and the USA.

The company, which last year turned over £750,000, first enrolled on UKTI's Passport to Export programme in 2010 and began to tap into various support streams, including the Market Visit scheme and Tradeshow Access Programme. It has exhibited at the New Zealand motor show and has since taken part in global automotive products trade show SEMA in the USA and sent dealers to be trained in Japan and the USA.

Viezu, established three years ago, first decided to look at export possibilities after realising that its UK market had grown as much as it could. In addition, the seasonal nature of car tuning in the UK meant an uneven revenue stream for the firm, with peaks in the summer. But, as seasonal fluctuations vary from country to country, the company started to look for opportunities abroad for a more even workflow across the year.

The nature of Viezu's business lends itself well to export - as it deals with software, everything is done online, meaning no products are left to the vagaries of postal services. And, as the demand for more environmentally friendly vehicles continues to grow, so does the demand for Viezu's range of software, to allow vehicles to be tuned in order to make them more fuel efficient.

Having such a heavy focus on export has meant changes in the way the business and the company's nine members of staff operate. The company is now available to dealers from 6am in the morning to 9.30pm at night, 364 days a year, to allow for real-time support worldwide.

The company is now looking at using UKTI support to help with areas of the business such as the website - with a Chinese and Russian translation section in the pipeline.

CEO Paul Busby said: "UKTI and our ITA Shernel Stevenson have been brilliant. It isn't just the financial support but the other support, the expertise and the networking. We recently attended a Doing Business in Russia event where we got to talk to people who could give us advice about doing business there. Where else would you get such an opportunity?"

Shernel Stevenson, UKTI international trade adviser based at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, said: "Viezu is a pleasure to work with, with a strong and dedicated team who constantly push the barriers to drive the company forward. The company had established themselves in the UK marketplace quickly and so it made sense for them to look abroad for more opportunities.

"I am delighted that the UKTI assistance we have been able to give them has helped them to gain a foothold in international markets and expand their offering to take advantage of new markets and I look forward to helping them to develop this offering in the future."

For more details about how UK Trade & Investment can help your business expand into new markets overseas, contact the international trade team at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce on 0845 641 1613.