Chamber helps clinch £500,000 order

Two centuries later, the company has overcome red tape to land its biggest overseas order.

When Sessions received a 500,000 order from Bangladesh for two machines to apply labels to pharmaceutical products, the company faced a dilemma.

Usually, it relies on its customers to arrange shipping for machines sold abroad, but Bangladeshi law states that it is illegal for companies to pay for anything before they receive it. This meant that Sessions would have had to risk sending a 500,000 order without any financial security – or lose the chance to secure a large order.

Sessions negotiated a deal with their customers, based on an irrevocable letter of credit, in which the customer lodges a ring-fenced payment with a bank.

The company approached the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce International department for help with the documentation, and the deal was completed on time.

Shaun Watts, the president of Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "We believe that exporting will play a significant role in securing long-term growth for UK businesses."

Sessions was established in 1811. The chairman and managing director William Mark Sessions is the fifth generation of his family to run the business. Sessions employs 97 staff and its turnover for the last financial year was 7m.

The chamber's international team can be contacted on 0845 034 7200.