Terry Scuoler: Osborne's £1 trillion export crusade will require an Olympian effort and full support for manufacturers UK manufacturers are ambitious and strategic; they are growing and they are looking at export markets as a route to growth. British-made goods are sought after and also have a reputation for being high quality and innovative. The average contribution of net trade to growth from 2010 to 2013 has been minimal, and was lower than some of our key European competitors, including Spain, Italy and France. Furthermore, achieving the £1 trillion target requires exports to grow by 9.2pc per annum from 2013. That doesn't mean, however, that we shouldn't aim high. The challenge has been set, and manufacturers are more than used to dealing with uphill tasks. Recent EEF research shows manufacturers are targeting overseas markets for the growth, with more than half saying they were planning to enter a new export market in the next 12 months. We are increasingly seeing manufacturers target markets outside the slower-growing European markets. We can produce more, we will produce more and we will sell it abroad. But the Government must also play its part. We must continue to see tax incentives, improved investment conditions, better access to skills and training, and a raft of pro-business, pro-growth initiatives if we are to achieve this Olympian export target. As a nation we have proved remarkably good at meeting Olympic-sized challenges, and boosting exports will help us to rebalance our economy away from unsustainable, consumer-led, short term gains. Exporting is good for business development, innovation and, ultimately, growth and jobs. On the whole, exporters faced with international competition are likely to be better performing companies because they are more exposed to international competition. As a result, they are more likely to be innovative which, in turn, leads to increased turnover and employment. I am fortunate that, in travelling around the UK, I see many world-class examples of successful exporters, from a company in Bristol making solar powered devices for use on highways to a Luton firm making the largest deep submersible motor in the world, operating more than two miles below the surface. Manufacturing is the key driver of the export engine, producing more than half of all UK exports and 85pc of goods exports. Three times as many manufacturers export, compared with the rest of the economy as a whole and this is more pronounced for small and medium-sized companies. Almost half of manufacturing SMEs export; that compares with just 19pc for the average SME. Manufacturers are also diversifying by targeting markets outside the eurozone and developing technical and niche products to meet customer demand. Five years ago, there was a lot of focus on expanding markets in the Middle East, but recently we have been hearing more and more about markets such as Africa in the same way that we used to hear talk of the Brics a decade ago. As we target opportunities and exciting markets outside Europe, however, we should remember that our clout and ability to trade competitively across the world will increasingly depend on effective trade agreements, such as the one currently being negotiated with the US by the EU. The EU remains the UK's biggest export market. Britain cannot afford to be on the outside looking in. So the message is stark and crystal clear. Exporting is good for our economy and manufacturers must be in the forefront of our export drive. Let's get more exports to more markets and our economy will bloom. Entering new markets is not easy, however, and it requires a lot of hard work and investment in time and money to develop relationships with new customers. The risks can also be high. Providing and maintaining effective support for exporters is therefore critical. Previous EEF research has shown that users of UKTI services highly rate the support and advice provided and have used them to access information on customers and local customs that otherwise they would have been unable to source. UKTI clients also tend to be more export intensive, more innovative and operate in a larger number of markets. Last year, we set out an industrial strategy called "Route to Growth," which included a target to boost by a quarter the number of companies for whom exports account for more than 50pc of their turnover. Crucially, the latest UKTI figures show that, far from moving towards this target, we are heading in the wrong direction. The percentage of export-intensive firms has fallen from 40pc in 2010 to 33pc in 2011 and 28pc in 2012. The challenges we face are therefore still considerable. The Government should now set out where we stand in terms of progress towards the Chancellor's £1 trillion target and renew his commitment to a government-led crusade where every department and overseas embassy and consulate will get behind this Olympian effort. As a country we've done it before, and we can do it again. Terry Scuoler is chief executive of EEF, the manufacturers" organisation