As you may have read a couple of weeks ago, our Managing Director, Martin Needham, & Development Director, Steve Gardner, recently went on a business trip to Hong Kong & China. Now that they are both back, and well rested, we thought that we would provide an update as to how they found the trip. Was it beneficial? Were there any unwanted Halloween scares? Carry on reading to find out....
After landing in Hong Kong, and having no time to try and adjust to the time difference, (Hong Kong are 8 hours ahead of us, here in the UK), the 1st piece of business was to attend the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair, which took place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. In a word, the show is huge! It takes place over 3 floors, inside the convention centre. It has the capacity to allow up to 140,000 visitors, per day. So as you can imagine, it was a busy place, with a sea of people everywhere! To get to the centre, Martin & Steve had to catch the Star Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island each day. The ferry is a busy, and popular mode of transport, carrying over 70,000 passengers a day, or 26 million a year. With the centre being located on the Victoria Harbour, it was a very picturesque setting for the show to take place. Below, is an image of the outside of the Convention Centre.
Once inside the centre, it was time to get down to business. The main aim, that both Martin & Steve were looking to achieve, was to look for new technology, or at least get new ideas for luminaries. Unfortunately, neither Martin or Steve found anything new that would be beneficial for us going forward. Perhaps, one of the most important findings to take away from the show, was that nobody else was/is producing linear High Bay products. However, we do - our Pegasus range. This is good news for us, as it makes our product unique, and we can offer what others can't.
The show mainly focused on displaying panels, downlights, lamps, floodlights. These are all types of products that we offer, of course, with lines such as our Corvus, Atlantis & Aquarius to name a few. Our products in these ranges are already of such a good quality & performance, that neither Martin or Steve found anything beneficial that we could add/change to what we already produce.
Whilst at the show, a meeting took place with a supplier of ATEX fittings. ATEX is the name commonly given to the two European Directives for controlling explosive atmospheres. Directive 99/92/EC (also known as 'ATEX 137' or the 'ATEX Workplace Directive') states the minimum requirements for improving the health and safety protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres. In Great Britain the requirements of Directive 99/92/EC were put into effect through regulations 7 and 11 of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR). The requirements in DSEAR apply to most workplaces where a potentially explosive atmosphere may occur. Some industry sectors and work activities are exempted because there is other legislation that fulfils the requirements. Overall, Martin & Steve were very happy with the quality of the products that were offered. So we will be bringing them on board when necessary.
Once the exhibition had wrapped up over the weekend, Martin & Steve then drove to China on Sunday 30th October. The nature of business here, was to take part in some factory visits on Monday 31st, and Tuesday 1st November. It is at these factories where some of our products are made. Over the course of the two days, Martin & Steve oversaw the production of our Sapphire & Medusa products. As the 1st day of the visit was the 31st of October (Halloween), one could be forgiven for fearing the worst. Luckily, it was all treats, no tricks! Both, Martin & Steve were very impressed by the level of detail, and checking that happens over our products, before they are given the all clear to be shipped out, and ready for sale. All in all, the checks take about a week, to go through all of the various stages. We want to offer products of the best possible quality, and with these thorough checks, we are able to offer such a product.
Our Medusa
Our Sapphire
Overall, while the trip was long and tiring, it was ultimately, useful. So it was worthwhile, in making the trip out there. Both, Martin & Steve landed back safely in the UK on Wednesday 2nd November, in the early hours of the morning. As always, it's full steam ahead, and back to work for the both of them. Continueing the hard work that they both do.
Hopefully this provided an insight into their trip, and shed some light on some of the things that happened whilst they were out there. Thanks for reading, and we'll see you on again on our next post!