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UK photonics mission to China
Mission party with translators on the way to meetings at CIOE
During 3–10 September, the UK’s Photonics Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and UK Trade & Investment are leading a mission to China. Representatives from ten UK photonics companies will be participating with the aim of exploring technology brokering and international trade opportunities between China and the UK.
Here’s an excerpt from the UK Photonics KTN Mission to China blog over on sister website optics.org, where you can go to read the full story.
By Glenn Barrowman, ICT Hub Manager at Aston Science Park, UK
Today Alistair Wilson, the director of the UK Photonics KTN, attended the China Optoelectronics Industry CEO Summit and we are delighted to bring you a few insights from the seminar. Fortunately this activity was in simultaneous translation.
Alistair thought that the importance of Asia-Pacific in the global optoelectronics market was underlined by a presentation from US company Finisar, one of the leading data networking equipment companies in the world with its headquarters in Northern California.
Gas Sensing Solutions signing distribution agreement
Finisar, with greater than $600 m per annum in revenue and 4500 employees worldwide, has 85% of its suppliers in the Asia-Pacific region and has located its International Purchasing Office (IPO) in Shenzhen, China. This location has enabled Finisar's purchasing personnel to be within four hours travelling time of 85% of its supply base.
Finisar believes that locating its IPO in China allows it to create a "real-time supply base" and helps it to develop strategic long-term relationships with suppliers, which in turns brings many benefits to for products.
UK companies on the Photonics KTN/UKTI mission are seeing first hand the benefits of having supply relationships in China and, within the short time-scale of the mission, have identified a number of partnerships that should generate mutually beneficial relationships.
The Chinese government and its regional governments are very keen to do business with UK companies, as we have discovered this week. With the support and assistance of UK Trade & Investment and the influential China British Business Council, UK companies have a wealth of experience and know-how to draw upon in establishing these relationships.
Meanwhile, the UK mission was having one-to-one meetings with companies selected from their specific requirements. The UK companies thought Kevin Leung did super background research in organising this, and the young translators completed their task with enthusiasm and skill.
The mission is nearly over. Tomorrow we are visiting an LED manufacturer, then checking-out of our hotel and flying back to London via Beijing. All that remains to say is thanks to all who have assisted us. There are way too many to mention, but I do know that the mission has been a resounding success.
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