The Challenge
The Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade ran OpenToExport, a platform used by UK businesses to find guidance and build export strategies. The existing platform was built on Java, wasn’t mobile responsive, and was expensive to run. They also needed a new tool, a structured data entry wizard, to help businesses create export action plans for use by the Department for International Trade (DIT). The rebuild needed to handle a large volume of content (over 50,000 pages), reduce infrastructure costs substantially, and integrate with external trade news and events providers to keep the site’s content current.
The Solution
Logicc converted the platform from Java to a mobile-responsive WordPress Multisite installation on a managed hosting cluster, bringing infrastructure costs down sharply. We built an AngularJS data entry wizard to guide businesses through creating structured export action plans – a tool commissioned specifically for use by the DIT. Syndication scripts were built to integrate with major international trade news and events providers, keeping the site’s content current without manual intervention.
The Results
The platform serves 30,000 registered users per month across more than 50,000 pages of content. Infrastructure costs fell by 90% following the migration. The export action plan wizard was adopted by the Department for International Trade as their recommended tool for businesses planning to export.
