Delcam's Clive Martell to be panellist at UK-China SME CEO Forum

Clive Martell, Chief Executive of CADCAM developer Delcam, has been invited to be a panellist at the UK-China SME CEO Forum to be held by UKTI and the China-Britain Business Council in London on 1st June. The programme will include keynote speeches from the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, and the Chinese Ambassador, Mr Liu Xiaoming. Full details on the event and a registration form are available at www.cbbc.org.

The Forum is a follow up to the Prime Minister’s visit to China, when Mr. Martell was a member of the delegation, and China’s Vice Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to the UK, where the political leaders endorsed the Partners for Growth initiative. The objective of the event is to support SMEs in developing their activities and strategies for China.

The Forum will also showcase UK excellence and development in key sectors, with breakout sessions on China’s Sustainable Cities Initiative, the country’s major investments in healthcare reform, and the vigorous moves towards low-carbon energy supply and the associated business opportunities. For companies new to the Chinese market, a fourth session will focus on the latest market intelligence, including updated findings of the new Regional Cities Research, and general advice on doing business in China.

Market and sector experts will be on hand to identify sources of funding available to SMEs for business expansion into China; to give an insight into the high value projects on the horizon of China’s plans and how UK companies can leverage these; and offer market advice on the current trading environment. In addition, a dedicated Market Place will allow companies to organise one-to-one meetings with industry specialists, and meet with company representatives who can link into opportunities for cooperation and strategic partnerships.

The Forum comes at a time when Delcam is setting new records for its business in China. Sales of the company’s manufacturing software in the country have increased by more than 75% in the first three months of this year compared to the first quarter of 2010.

This rapid growth has helped the company to reach more than 1,500 customers in the country. To mark this achievement, a presentation was made to the 1,500th customer, Zhejiang (Taizhou) Jianli Mould Co., Ltd., by Her Majesty’s Ambassador to China, Sebastian Wood CMG, during the UK Advanced Engineering China Showcase held in Shanghai in June. This mouldmaking company is typical of the hundreds of smaller toolmakers and subcontractors that are adopting Delcam software to increase their productivity, improve their quality and reduce their lead times.

However, Delcam’s customers also include many of the country’s larger organisations. These major customers include First Auto Works, Xi’an Aircraft Industry Group, Changchun Railway Vehicles, Dongfang Electrical Machinery, Gree Electrical Appliances and Pou Chen, one of the world’s major producers of footwear.