UKTI helps Welsh fi rm to enter Hong Kong market
With assistance from UKTI, PPM Technology is now selling its air quality monitors in Hong Kong
PPM Technology Ltd manufactures Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitoring instruments. The company was established after a management buyout in 1999 in Caernarfon, Wales, and quickly made a name for itself, selling its products to hospitals, laboratories and manufacturing industries for use detecting formaldehyde around the UK, Europe and the USA. Then, in 2000, Japan passed legislation
requiring formaldehyde monitoring in homes and PPM saw an opportunity to enter the Asian market. Demand for its monitors took off and, as other Asian countries passed similar IAQ legislation, the company extended its presence to South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and China. In 2008, PPM launched its fi rst multi-
parameter monitor that detects temperature, humidity, nitrogen dioxide, total volatile organic compounds and ozone, in addition to formaldehyde – all toxic gases that can make people feel ill in offi ces and in homes. The company is now concentrating on
marketing the new monitor in Hong Kong and is working closely with its long-time distributor there. John Jones, Managing Director of PPM said: “In Hong Kong the high density of offi ces and high levels of air pollution mean there is a particular need for air quality monitors. Plus it is an English speaking market with IAQ legislation already in place.” However, before introducing the monitor
to the Hong Kong market, PPM contacted UKTI, which then helped the company to exhibit its products at the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition 2009 (MIECF). As a result of the event, the company received an order valued at HK$100,000 from a hotel in Shanghai. PPM also took part in Eco Expo Asia in Hong Kong, in a pavilion of UK exhibitors arranged
by UKTI. While there, the fi rm met several prospective clients and gained a number of potentially signifi cant sales leads. In addition, the fi rm commissioned an
Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) report from UKTI, which provided crucial information about the potential market for its products in Hong Kong. The report also made recommendations on how PPM should go about establishing a presence in Hong Kong. As part of the OMIS, UKTI arranged a
seminar at the British Consulate on behalf of PPM, which was attended by over a dozen representatives from key potential customer groups. PPM received a positive response to its products and is now following up on the leads generated by the seminar.
The Eco Expo Asia show took place in Hong Kong last year
“The backing of UKTI was crucial for the
success of the reception we held at the Consulate,” says John Jones, “and we fully expect to work with UKTI again in the future.” Following its recent successes with the
new monitor, PPM is using Hong Kong as a springboard to China, working closely with a Hong Kong-based distributor with strong contacts there. This strategy is working, and to date, the company has secured contracts in China worth over £170,000.
Hong Kong and the UK are close trading partners. UK exports of goods to Hong Kong in 2008 amounted to £3.47 billion, making it the UK’s 16th largest export market. As well as being a major market in its own right, Hong Kong serves as a trading gateway to mainland China.
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