Unit Export

What Unit Export does

Unit Export Limited is a UK-based export and procurement consulting firm established in 1977 and headquartered in Basildon, Essex. The company specializes in bidding on, winning, and executing international supply contracts funded by multilateral and bilateral development lenders — including the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Commission, and United Nations agencies such as UNDP, UNOPS, FAO, IFAD, and UNIDO. Over 49 years, it has completed more than 1,500 supply contracts delivering goods and equipment to over 130 countries across five sectors: Automotive, Agriculture, Construction, Health & Education, and Security.

The company's core offering is end-to-end contract execution: from international tendering and competitive bidding through procurement, homologation, logistics, freight, customs clearance, in-country assembly, training, and after-sales service. Its multilingual team and network of in-country representatives enable delivery to remote and challenging environments, including Pacific atolls, sub-Saharan Africa, and post-conflict regions. Certifications (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, UN Global Compact) support eligibility for donor-funded procurement.

The business model is B2B one-time contract execution: Unit Export wins tenders, procures goods from global manufacturer and distributor networks, and delivers them to government clients in developing nations. Revenue is generated through discrete supply contracts rather than recurring arrangements. Unit Export Limited is a subsidiary of Laindon Holdings Ltd (trading as MJT Securities Ltd), which historically led 380 staff across the group's portfolio of companies. The company does not develop proprietary technology products; its competitive position rests on track record, supplier networks, and donor relationships built over nearly five decades.

Name

Unit Export

Legal name

Unit Export Limited

Website

https://unitexport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Unit Export Limited is a UK-based export and procurement consultancy, established in 1977, that bids on and executes supply contracts funded by multilateral lenders (World Bank, UN agencies, development banks) to deliver equipment and goods to governments in developing nations across 130+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Trade Procurement Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (4234), Construction and Mining (except Oil Well) Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (423810), Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42382)

SIC

Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

Export Promotion & Market Access Support (BPADAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Value Chain Development & Supplier Upgrading (BPADAMAI)

Keywords

• Export procurement
• International supply contracts
• Development consulting
• Tendering services
• Equipment sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Basildon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Supply Contract Execution: Unit Export wins supply contracts through international tendering funded by multilateral and bilateral lenders and then procures and delivers the required goods and equipment to developing nations. Revenue is generated through one-time supply contracts rather than recurring arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Unit Export Limited is an export and procurement consultancy that bids on and executes international supply contracts funded by multilateral and bilateral lenders. The company sources, procures, and delivers physical goods and equipment — vehicles, agricultural machinery, construction equipment, health and education supplies, and security hardware — to governments and agencies in developing nations across more than 130 countries, managing the full lifecycle from tendering and bidding through logistics, customs clearance, in-country assembly, and training.

Product overview

Unit Export Limited is an export and procurement consulting firm, not a software product company. They provide consulting services for international supply contracts, specializing in the procurement and delivery of physical goods, equipment, and supplies to developing nations. The company operates across five key sectors: Automotive (vehicles, motorcycles), Agriculture (tractors, harvesting equipment, boats), Construction (drilling rigs, cranes, containers), Health & Education (ambulances, medical equipment, furniture), and Security (surveillance equipment, security vehicles, detection devices). Their services include tendering, contract management, procurement coordination, logistics, and delivery to clients funded by multilateral and bilateral lenders including the World Bank, UN agencies, and development banks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Automotive Supply Contracts Sector-specific procurement and supply of automotive vehicles and motorcycles to governments and international development agencies, including Toyota Hilux, Nissan Altima and Hardbody pickups, Honda motorcycles, and Volkswagen vans, tailored to project-specific requirements and homologated for destination markets.
• Agricultural Equipment Supply Contracts Sector-specific procurement and supply of agricultural equipment including tractors, ploughs, sprayers, trailers, fertiliser spreaders, potato planters, harvesters, seed drills, amphibious and aluminium boats, and trail cameras, sourced for agricultural development projects in developing nations.
• Construction Equipment Supply Contracts Sector-specific procurement and supply of construction equipment including reach stackers, drilling rigs manufactured in the UK for atoll and standard penetration test environments, waste containers, cranes, and ductile iron pipes and fittings, delivered to construction and infrastructure projects globally.
• Health and Education Equipment Supply Contracts Sector-specific procurement and supply of health and education equipment including Mercedes Sprinter ambulances, ambulance boats for lakeside communities, folding patient stretchers, portable dental units, cooling units using HFO R1234ze refrigerant, hospital furniture, medical appliances, and educational materials, sourced for health and education development projects.
• Security Equipment Supply Contracts Sector-specific procurement and supply of security equipment to developing nations to improve compliance and security standards, including surveillance equipment, security vehicles, and canine search unit converted vehicles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49 years of experience in global export supply contracts
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Laindon Holdings Ltd / MJT Securities LtdcoreOthersUnit Export Limited is a subsidiary of Laindon Holdings Ltd (trading as MJT Securities Ltd). The parent company provides corporate governance, financial backing, and shared services across the group of companies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Crown Agents: UK-headquartered international development company that procures and supplies goods on behalf of governments and donors, including World Bank and DFID-funded projects. Closest direct comparable to Unit Export in business model, customer base, and donor-funded tendering approach.

Broad incumbents

• ITOCHU Corporation: Japanese sogo shosha (general trading company) that routinely bids on multilateral-funded supply contracts and procures vehicles, industrial equipment, and infrastructure goods for developing nations. Competes with Unit Export in many of the same World Bank and ADB tenders but with vastly greater scale and balance sheet.
• Toyota Tsusho Corporation: Japanese trading house active in automotive export, agricultural mechanisation, and infrastructure supply for development projects in Africa and Asia. Direct overlap with Unit Export's automotive and agricultural machinery categories and shared multilateral lender customer base.
• Mitsui & Co., Ltd. Diversified Japanese trading house that supplies vehicles, infrastructure equipment, and agricultural machinery through multilateral-funded tenders in emerging markets. Comparable in customer profile (multilateral lenders, developing nation governments) and product breadth.
• Sumitomo Corporation: Japanese trading house participating in development-funded supply contracts across transportation, construction, and agricultural equipment categories. Comparable in tendering-based B2G sales model and emerging-market geographic focus.
• Marubeni Corporation: Japanese trading company with established agricultural machinery, infrastructure, and water supply businesses that bid on multilateral-funded tenders. Overlaps with Unit Export in agricultural and construction equipment supply to developing nations.

Emerging players

• Chemonics International: US-based international development consultancy that implements donor-funded projects (USAID, World Bank, FCDO) and often handles procurement of equipment within those projects. Comparable in donor customer base and emerging-market operating geographies, though with greater focus on programme implementation vs. pure goods supply.
• DAI (Development Alternatives, Inc.): US-headquartered development firm implementing donor-funded projects across Africa, Asia, and Latin America with embedded procurement of equipment and supplies. Comparable in multilateral lender customer base and developing-market operations, though with broader services scope.

Others

• Tetra Tech, Inc. US engineering and consulting firm that procures and delivers specialised equipment (drilling rigs, environmental monitoring, water infrastructure) for World Bank and USAID-funded projects. Adjacent in delivery capability and donor-funded equipment supply.
• Louis Dreyfus Company: Global commodity merchant and supply chain operator with significant emerging-market trade flow and project-procurement exposure. Comparable in cross-border logistics and emerging-market delivery capabilities, though primarily commodity-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unit-export-limited

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unit Export