Tech specialist chooses Warwickshire as global HQ

"To be successful, any business needs a bit of luck. We regard coming into contact with the council as our bit of very good luck."

A tech start-up company from Turkey is expanding and recruiting in Warwickshire after choosing the county as the location for its global HQ.

Eatron Technologies has moved its head office from Istanbul to Warwick after grant support  from Warwickshire County Council helped it to equip a base at Warwick Innovation Centre on Warwick Technology Park.

Company directors Umut Genc and Amedeo Bianchimano have recently employed one engineer and are busy searching for more as they settle into a base right in the heart of their chosen sector. Specialists in automotive software, Eatron provides controls and software engineering services and solutions for electric and autonomous vehicles.

Umut said: "I have worked in the UK for some years so knew that Warwickshire is an international hub for the connected autonomous sector so the perfect location for us.

"This is where we wanted to be and the support from the council, both in terms of the grant and the excellent advice we received, has enabled us to move more quickly and recruit earlier.

"Some of the funding went towards equipping our office and some towards the technology and hardware for a car, so we will have an autonomous vehicle to exhibit to clients by the summer.

"It is wonderful to be are growing in Warwickshire with a view to expansion into the US and China, at which point our workforce will grow commensurately."

The arrival of Eatron in Warwickshire further strengthens the region's collective offer of skills and expertise in the connected automotive sector. The company was confident that this was where it wanted to be and the logistics of moving here were significantly smoothed by the input of Warwickshire County Council's Economy & Skills team.

Inward investment officer Steph Williams supported Eatron by introducing them to supply-chain companies and research institutions and alerting them to local grant opportunities.

"The council's team was really proactive," said Umut. "As a new small business you have a lot to do and could easily be knocked off track so its brilliant to have people to help and plan your pathway.

"The grant process was transparent and smooth and to have that quality of support is not only valuable on a practical level but it is also great to have that credibility, to know that someone has the belief in your business plan to back you.

"To be successful, any business needs a bit of luck. We regard coming into contact with the council as our bit of very good luck."

* For more information about what Steph and her colleagues in the Invest Warwickshire team at Warwickshire County Council can do to help your business settled in Warwickshire, please visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/invest/

* The advice for the company was delivered as part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Warwickshire County Council. To find out more about the range of support available to grow your business, please contact the Growth Hub on 0300 060 3747.