South Wales Chamber of Commerce director Graham Morgan looks ahead to 2014 in this month’s column.

“IT is great to be back on the ground after the Christmas break and we have started 2014 on a high with our latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) showing a strong performance from businesses in west Wales during 2013.

“The results of the QES give us an indication as to how businesses across south, west and mid Wales are performing, and acts as a barometer for the strength of the Welsh economy.

“In the west, businesses have reported that their UK sales are up, exports have increased, advance order books are in a healthy state, and that over-all productivity has improved over the last 12 months.

“It shows us that businesses are no longer simply trying to weather the conditions of the economic storm of the last few years, but are beginning to experience real growth, with many confident about increasing their profit margins in the coming year.

“It also tells us that the time is right to accelerate the support available to businesses to help them access markets across the rest of the UK and overseas. There are plenty of businesses in west Wales that are producing fantastic products, and delivering outstanding services, that are capable of penetrating markets around the UK and Europe.

“A co-ordinated approach is required throughout 2014 that incorporates the strong tourism industry in the west to increase the flow of visitors from the affluent south east of England, and continental Europe, that will open up new opportunities for Welsh companies to do business in these regions, and add real value to the Welsh economy.

“Of course we must keep a level-head – not all businesses will have seen improvements during the last year, and recruitment levels in particular are far below the levels we would hope to be seeing.

“But, as we move into 2014, the future is certainly starting to look very positive.”