Irish Case Studies
There are many Cork Chamber members that have successfully established offices in China or are sourcing from or exporting to China. Below, some of these companies give an overview of their operations in China and offer some advice to businesses considering China as a target market.
Connect Promotions (Bob Gee, Managing Director)
"Connect Promotions distribute a wide range of Promotional Products sourced from across Europe and Far East, including completely bespoke projects manufactured to clients specific requirements. I have been doing business in China since 1994. For several years we have been working with a number of professional sourcing agencies based in China but are now increasingly working directly with factories in mainland China. Our next stage of involvement with China will be to establish a sourcing base and we have a proposal in place for a Shanghai office, which we are currently reviewing. We think this will help with communications in terms of language and time differences.
As the “factory to the world” China has a lot to offer. However, as with any overseas trade, there are some extra factors to consider. Wage inflation, commodity shortages, and currency concerns are all in open discussion this year and prices are edging upwards. Incredibly Chinese manufacturers are eyeing other low-cost Asian countries and there has been some movement of manufacture to avail of lower costs in those countries. Patience and a good local contacts are the most important recommendations I can suggest in relation to doing business with China. The Chinese like to spend time getting to know you and that may involve several visits before progress can be made. Equally you are likely to find day-to-day correspondence can be slow due to time zones and language. In both cases, a local reprepresentative can be a huge help. Cork Chamber can tap into their network through local chambers in China plus there is a strong linkage between UCC and Shanghai University."
More case studies to follow. If your company would like to share their experience of doing business in China then please contact Katherine.