Business in China

Interview between Exhibitor Forum and Alfred Danielmeier (Area Sales Manager Asia), on the occasion of the China Brew / China Beverage

Question: As one of the World´s most renowned suppliers of quality control instruments, why and when did you start your business in China?

Danielmeier: The first HEUFT equipment was installed in China in the eighties. We delivered the initial devices as a sub-supplier into turnkey lines. Thanks to our co-operation with Dainan International we were able to work the Chinese market directly in the nineties. We gathered considerable experience, which we put to good use in the development of our latest range, the TX series. These new developments enabled us to offer the complete operator interface in Chinese. The course was now set to serve the largest market in the world with tailor-made solutions. The founding of HEUFT ASIA Ltd in January 2001 has been a logical progression of this in order to also become number one in control technology on the Chinese market.

Question: What kinds of products are you offering? And which one(s) is/are demanded most in China?

Danielmeier: HEUFT SYSTEMTECHNIK considers itself to be a supplier who offers solutions for systems in the field of high quality control technology. We supply a complete range of inspection devices for bottling and canning lines. At the moment our activities on the Chinese market centre on empty bottle inspection. Our customers are very aware of the dangers that defective and contaminated bottles can cause.

Question: Could you tell us some of your recent projects?

Danielmeier: We are currently equipping several production lines at the Shanghai Mila Brewery with EBIs, fill level, label and pressure check inspection machines as well as line flow control systems, installed in order to increase productivity by increasing effectiveness.

Question: From which sector(s) do your Chinese clients come? And from which regions?

Danielmeier: Our clients come mainly from the food and beverage sector. At present we are focussing on major industrialized areas.

Question: How would you comment the level of quality control in China today? How do you estimate its development over the next few years?

Danielmeier: China is developing into a market with ever increasing quality standards. On the basis of the high demand for our devices we can conclude that the beverage industry will continue to increase its investment in control technology over the next years in order to cope with the demand.

Question: What advice would you give to Chinese beer and beverage producers if they want to get an upper hand in the market?

Danielmeier: We have often observed that in fast growing markets a high increase in production is accompanied by a declining standard in quality. Lasting success can only be achieved by those who can convince the market that their high quality is constant and they will be the winners in the long-term.

Question: Why are you participating in China Brew & Beverage 2002? What was your experience of the previous event?

Danielmeier: In the past we have established a lot of business contacts due to our presence at the exhibition. The extremely knowledgeable public is very interested in our products and is quick in recognizing the high quality of the solutions we offer. In addition the questions asked and the suggestions given regarding our devices also help us to optimise the devices for the Chinese market. Last but not least a lot of business transactions have been initiated here at China Brew/China Beverage.