A Cornwall-based company which creates 3D tours for industry is forecasting export sales to the US to hit £1m in the next five years.
Ocean 3D, based in Penzance, is a virtual reality (VR) photography scanning business that has clients in the 海角视频 and abroad, with exports accounting for 39% of its overall revenue in 2021.
It creates 3D tours for industries including education, transportation and health and has established itself in the US market with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT) as part of the drive to “level up” businesses in the region.
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DIT has supported the company to grow in the US through market research support, advice on regulatory requirements and virtual trade missions.
With DIT’s support, the company signed its first deal with an airport in Texas this year. DIT provided market research support and has given the company the opportunity to attend a virtual trade mission to the US as part of DIT’s Tech 4 Good programme.
Ocean 3Dwas established in 2018 by Chris Wood and Rosalind Osborne after they identified a gap in the market for organisations to produce 3D tours to help people who suffer with autism and other mental health conditions.
The tours allow people to experience spaces before visiting them, thereby reducing anxiety surrounding navigation or accessibility.
The company was the first business in the world without a physical premise to be awarded the National Autistic Society’s Autism Friendly Award.
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The benefits of virtual reality have been shown in research published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders which found that immersive virtual reality can help improve autism phobias.
Mr Wood said: “DIT has helped to get us in touch with the right people to get presidential exemptions lifted while ensuring we have the right paperwork.
“DIT is now supporting us to identify regions of the US where we should be focusing our efforts through providing useful market data.
“The best advice I can offer to companies is to get in touch with DIT as they’ve been brilliant in supporting us to grow overseas. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
The US is the 海角视频’s largest single trading partner, with total trade reaching more than £196bn in 2020, and more than 1.4million people in the 海角视频 working for US companies.
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In 2019, the 海角视频 and US had more than £760bn invested in each other’s economies, creating high-skilled jobs and supporting communities. The DIT said it has, in recent months, ended the ban on British beef, drawn a line under the Airbus-Boeing dispute, and co-operated on vital areas such as technology.
Paul Shand, head of trade for DIT in the South West, said: “Ocean 3D’s success in the US demonstrates the strong demand for high-quality 海角视频 services overseas. It’s great to see them thriving and helping people with accessibility needs across the world to navigate public and private spaces. Trade will play an important role in getting our economy back on track and Ocean 3D is a great example of how companies can look to lucrative overseas markets to boost their sales whilst creating more jobs.”