Joint venture bridges the gap to China

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 5, 2006

This month the "Cambridge-China bridge" extends to Shanghai as SGAI Tech spreads its wings.

This month the "Cambridge-China bridge" extends to Shanghai as SGAI Tech spreads its wings.

The first-of-a-kind joint venture between international technology consultancy, Scientific Generics and award winning Chinese manufacturer Automatic Manufacturing (AML), opens its Shanghai Technology Centre to provide low-cost product design and development in the Yangzi River Delta.

Over the last two decades, Hong Kong has established itself as a two-way platform for business between mainland China and the rest of the world.

Scientific Generics and AML, through the setting up of SGAI (pronounced see-guy), have created a low-risk product design and development resource which uses Hong Kong's proximity to the Greater Pearl River Delta an unsurpassed production base with 60 thousand factories supported by 12 million workers and an area home to more than 20 fast-growing cities.

With HQ in Hong Kong and Cambridge UK, SGAI designs, develops and manufactures products in China, joining world-class expertise in the east and west through the Hong Kong technology gateway.

Building on this success, the Shanghai Technology Centre enables customers in the east to access the Yangzi River Delta, a region of 193 million people which accounted for 18.6% of the country's GDP in 2005 and which is distinct from the Greater Pearl River Delta focus on high volume consumer goods.

Commenting on the opening, Dr Tim Moore CEO of SGAI Tech says: "Hong Kong is the design and development centre and provides SGAI with the technology gateway, and remains invaluable to the business's success".

"The Shanghai office will be more focussed on providing local support to global clients who prefer to outsource critical parts or modules to that region or wish to transfer products into manufacture in the YRD itself".

Commenting on the expansion plans, Dr KM Chow, COO of SGAI says: "SGAI's unique business model has enabled us to make a profit in the first year of trading and also push forward with our expansion plans to offer clients more variety".

"Government officials including Anthony Wong, Commissioner of the Innovation and Technology Commission have visited SGAI's UK offices twice in the last year to understand more about key success factors in our collaboration model".

"SGAI continues to practice high quality design and development in Hong Kong and I am sure that the SGAI Shanghai Technology Centre will be as successful in China".

Since launching in January 2005, the company has enjoyed a string of successes including winning the inaugural Cathay Pacific Business Wings Award for innovation and dynamism and John Mok, Director of SGAI and Chairman of AML winning the Hong Kong Institute of Directors, Director of The Year Award.

Simon Davey, CEO of Scientific Generics and Chairman of SGAI, says: "When we started SGAI, we realised there was an opportunity for a business of this kind".

"Asia was a huge train coming through industry and we could either get on it or jump out of the way".

"We got on it, and this expansion comes just months after our first birthday and we have great aspirations for SGAI's future and hope to remain at the forefront of world-class design and development".