App sees rise in fitness and increase in exports
Nottingham-based body composition software and hardware designer Boditrax increases exports with rising demand abroad.
With health and wellbeing taking centre stage around the world, digital health technologies and fitness apps are multiplying. Nottingham-based Boditrax, a body composition software and hardware designer, is running with this rising demand with its most recent export to six countries across Asia in a project worth up to £1.5m.
Following a trade mission organised by the Department for International Trade to Arab Health 2019, the company has signed two further agreements, sold six more systems and have a further four in negotiation. Significantly, it is also in discussions with a government in the region to develop a public health pilot.
And exporting has been a significant factor in the company’s growth. The business saw an additional £470,000 to turnover in 2018 with overseas sales, and is closing in on a further export contract which will add another £850,000 in 2019/20, so this is set to increase.
The company has the world’s largest body composition database with over five million users on more than 700 systems, delivered by a team of just 22. Turnover in the last financial year was £1.3million and this year is on target to reach £2.5 million.
Founded in December 2011, the businesses’ core product is a cloud hosted professional health application built around a medical grade body composition device, providing a clinically validated understanding of a person’s physical composition and many other health metrics such as mental wellbeing.
The app allows users to test and track body and mind change as well as other areas such as choose a personal trainer; review, discuss and set goals; and to create nutrition and training plans.
The software is developed, designed and the hardware assembled by hand in Nottingham and then distributed across six continents. Health club operators such as David Lloyd Leisure, Virgin Active, Fitness First and Pure Gym use the technology along with the NHS, HM Government and leading universities. A recent expansion into corporate healthcare has seen Rolls-Royce, Cadbury, Kellogg’s, Renault F1, Airbus and Sky TV added to the Boditrax client roster.
The business now exports to markets around the world including the EU, UAE, USA, South Africa, Australia and India.
Nick Stillman, Co-founder at Boditrax said:
“There is often a perception of risk when large organisations engage with small firms from overseas. Whilst we accept that appearing on UK DIT stands and at events is not an endorsement as such, there can be a real halo effect and credibility upgrade from the company you keep and this really affects how other parties then view you. “We initially learned the hard way in areas like customs clearance and getting the ‘door to door’ experience working effectively in different countries. Time zones and documentation have required careful management. And different markets pose different challenges, including connectivity issues in areas such as China and also power and infrastructure issues in India.
“My advice would be talk to the DIT team, we have had heaps of support with signposting on so many things yet at no time has anyone there said, ‘sorry, you are on your own’. It has been a source of great professional pride for our small company to work with the department and it has made us feel part of something really great.”
Ian Harrison, Head of Exports for the Midlands added:
“Health and fitness are such important issues in our busy modern lives, and it’s great to see a company like Boditrax making such a mark in the industry both at home and in overseas markets.
“The demand is high for new and innovative products in this space, and it’s great to see that Midlands companies are in the right place to take advantage of this demand. I highly encourage companies looking to enter international markets to get in contact with their local International Trade Advisor.”