A maritime engineering firm is targeting Russia and Europe to boost its exports and turnover.

Kineteco International, based at the Willesborough Industrial Park in Ashford, has brought in a new distributor to push its export sales to 70% of turnover.

It makes around 1,000 hand-wound engine starter motors at its site each year, and managing director Karen Rhodes says the aim is to grow the figure to 5,000 and then 10,000 in the next five years.

She said that Dutch distributor Haratco will help the company continue to grow as it has offices in the Netherland and in Moscow.

She said: “The key to success is to show the marketplace that we have a great problem solving product and why they shouldn’t be without it."

Kineteco already sells 70% of its products outside the UK, and hopes to target the so-called Benelux countries - Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg - and Russia.

Kineteco senior technical manager Max Sheppard said the company also has the potential to expand its sales further in agriculture, mining, oil and gas and general industry.

He said: “Our hand-wound mechanical starter provides a genuinely cheaper, reliable and more efficient alternative to pneumatic, hydraulic and electric starter motors, whatever the application.”