1. Please provide a company background including when it was established, where it is located, how many staff you employ etc.

 

Formerly known as R&A Software Systems Ltd, ra Information Systems has been established since 1988. The company was originally based in Sheffield. More recently, 2009, we moved new offices in Chesterfield. We currently employ 19 staff in Chesterfield and have 1 person permanently based in London.

 

Original ra was a bespoke software house working mostly with local authorities in the UK. Over the years we have grown and diversified in many other IT areas, products and services.

 

We now work with many private companies and local authorities all over the country, providing them with IT Software/Hardware Solutions and Support and we are now building up our export markets.

 

2. Please provide an overview of the products and services offered and areas of specialisation.

 

At ra we take a personal and proactive approach to IT and our methods are based on a sound understanding of our client's businesses.

 

We have a great deal of experience in dealing with the specific requirements of serviced office and managed workspace environments, gained through the implementation of our software product ibcs into hundreds of Business Centres, Science Parks, Incubation and Innovation Centres across the UK. More recently we have formed a partnership with UKSPA and released UKSPA Clarity, a sector specific version of ibcs, for Incubation and Innovation Centres and Science Parks. We also understand the needs of Local Authorities and Tree Consultants/Contractors, through the supply and development of our tree management system ezytreev, used by numerous District and Borough Councils, County Councils, City Councils, London Borough's and other tree management related industries such as Universities, Country Estates and Historic Royal Palaces.

 

We have over 15 years’ experience working closely with organisations such as UKSPA, UKBI, the bca, MTOA, LTOA and the Arboricultural Association and their members, to ensure that we continue to lead the industries with our bespoke and innovative software solutions.

 

In addition, we pride ourselves in offering an unrivalled range of IT design, consultancy, installation and support services and are spearheading the IT support industry with our successful and experienced, in-house helpdesk. As a result we have established a large client base in a variety of system environments across the UK and mainland Europe.

 

Our ethos is to listen carefully to our clients’ needs and to expand ALL of our solutions to meet them. We are continually evolving as a company, ensuring that we forever meet the changing demands of the market, resulting in a growing number of satisfied, long-term customers.

 

3. How did you find out about emita and what benefits do you find the most valuable?

 

We are on Passport to Export and so emita membership is included as part of that. We are really pleased it was, as it has been a great resource running many excellent events.

 

4. How long has your company been active in the export / import market and which countries do you currently trade with?

 

We have been exporting since 2006. We export our bespoke software and IT services to Ireland, Poland, Hungry, Germany and Kuwait.

 

5. What made you decide to expand your business overseas?

 

ibcs, UKSPA Clarity and Ezytreev are very specialist products which have strong, but limited markets in the UK so expanding overseas is key to the continued growth of our business.

 

6. What has been your biggest exporting / importing challenge?

 

That every market has different ways of operating and that there is a lot to learn when looking at a new market.

 

7. What’s the most helpful piece of international trade advice you have received?

 

Target small markets first whilst you are learning about exporting. That said we were recently invited to China to present UKSPA Clarity to them!!!

 

8. What does the future hold? Any particular markets you are looking to target next?

 

We have an OMIS commissioned for Sweden and are going to the IASP (International Association of Science Parks) International Conference in Estonia in the summer. Hopefully we will start to bring in regular international sales for our software and services.