5 July 2010, Hong Kong - As the market
continues to grow in
Asia, manufacturers are stepping up their operations. International
companies
are intensifying their supply relationships with Asian companies and
setting up
subsidiaries in the booming conurbations of the huge continent. Others
are
focussing on increasing their existing capacities and leading German
manufacturer
of warp knitting machines and warp preparation systems Karl Mayer is no
exception.
Karl Mayer has had its own subsidiary in Hong Kong since 198
and since then has been constantly adapting its range of services to
cater for growing
demand. The company expanded its base in Hong Kong at the beginning of
this
year with expansion focused on increasing the number of employees and
moving
into new offices. The new, modern premises cover an area of 200m², which
is
adequate space for liaising with clients and for housing the back-office
team,
which has increased from eight to 14.
Following the market
The workforce at Karl Mayer (H.K.) Ltd. includes experts
from Germany and UK giving it a truly international flavour and staff
are
responsible for managing the sales and marketing of all of Karl Mayer’s
machinery for the Asian market. Karl Mayer says there are a few
exceptions to
this, i.e. the customer support operations in Japan, selected provinces
in
China in relation to warp knitting machines and the machines produced by
Karl
Mayer Malimo. Karl Mayer’s warp preparation machines are also sold in
China and
in selected countries only from the base in Hong Kong.
Staff in Hong Kong are responsible for selling Karl Mayer’s products
in all their sales regions of Asia. They are also responsible for
marketing and
liaise directly with clients which is always done by working closely
with the
national sales agencies. Karl Mayer says the regional sales managers,
therefore, have the right expertise to call on and are responsible for
organising the operations.
“With our current sales set-up, we are in close contact with
our clients. We are quick to spot changing trends in demand and can
react
rapidly to them,” explains Kevin Socha, head of Karl Mayer Hong Kong
when
describing the services provided by his staff. He also adds that it is
easier
to transfer money between banks in Asia than between different
continents.
Prompt, professional service
As well as sales and marketing, Karl Mayer Hong Kong is also
responsible for servicing operations. From the new offices, staff
coordinate
and organise the activities of the company’s service engineers all over
Asia,
with the exception of Japan. The expert assembly specialists come either
from Karl
Mayer (Changzhou) Technical Services Ltd., a subsidiary of Karl Mayer
(H.K.)
Ltd. that is responsible for China or from a network of field personnel
who are
responsible for the remaining areas. A specialist team is also available
for
supporting the machines manufactured by Karl Mayer Malimo. According to
KarlMayer, the right level of expertise is available in the right place
at the
right time and any spare parts needed can be obtained just as quickly
from Hong
Kong. The new premises also houses a well-organised spare parts
warehouse to
ensure that the key components most frequently needed can be delivered
quickly.
Karl Mayer says that a great deal of time and effort were
spent on setting-up the warehouse, moving into the new premises and
expanding the
team in Hong Kong and the process was not without its problems. However,
after
a brief consolidation phase, Karl Mayer’s new subsidiary is now fully
operational, just in time to cope with the current, buoyant order
situation.
.gif)
