Bill Almen explains how Profab Access has been seized opportunities in China and Hong Kong

A young West Midlands manufacturer with little previous experience of exporting is winning orders in China after appointing a sales agent in Hong Kong.

Profab Access Ltd, which was formed less than four years ago, produces acoustic, fire retardant and other metal access panels mainly for the construction industry.

So far the company has won orders for Hong Kong's new Disneyland project and for the Sands casino in Macau, and is hopeful of securing further business in the region having already tendered for new projects worth up to ￡250,000.

"Nowadays everyone is talking about China being the workshop of the world where everything is made," said Profab's Project Manager Bill Almen.

"It's great to buck the trend and sell manufactured products into the China  market. The construction sector there is booming, so we believe the scale of opportunity is enormous."

Mr Almen visited Hong Kong in March this year on a trade mission organised by Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. He is set to return on the Chamber's next mission in February to increase further their market presence.

"Hong Kong is an ideal entry point for the China market, not least due to traditional ties that are still held with the UK. Other plus factors are common law and that English is widely spoken and used commercially which reduces the risk factor of dealing directly with the Chinese mainland."

Last month Bill Almen shared his experiences of doing business in Asia at the Hong Kong / China seminar in Birmingham organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and attended by over 200 local companies.