Orange Bus goes on global trip

Digital agency Orange Bus has secured a series of new contracts overseas as demand for its services abroad grows.

Following UK-wide success, the Newcastle firm has secured work in multiple overseas markets including Switzerland, France, USA, Holland, Norway and Canada.

This international success, along with continued success in the UK, will push its turnover towards the £2m mark this year.

Orange Bus now has a 29-strong workforce made up of 24 in Newcastle and a team of five in Sri Lanka, who are developing an ecommerce platform.

Director, Julian Leighton says the next 12 to 24 months will see further growth following the launch of the e-commerce product which is planned for next month.

“Late in 2011 we decided as a company we had to look to build up larger accounts, which meant looking overseas,” he says.

“Our success in winning contracts abroad has been rapid to say the least and has contributed to exponential growth in the business. As always the new work has come through word of mouth so it just shows how much further we are reaching.”

“Currently the revenue percentage to the agency is around 60% UK and 40% overseas but we fully expect the gap to narrow, particularly as the ecommerce service goes live.  Our international reach has brought us increased security,” Mr Leighton adds. “We can plan far more accurately for the future and it’s made finding and retaining high calibre talent easier.”

The company, which is named after Leighton’s VW Camper Van and is based on the Quayside’s Generator Studios, is now working with Philips in Holland, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Companybook in Norway and on a joint Philip Morris/IBM project in Switzerland.

Following a  competitive tender, Orange Bus has also spent the last three years delivering the new ActiveLearn learning platform for Pearson, which operates in 70 countries.