In Chinese, ‘China’ translates literally as Middle Kingdom. From 16th to 17th of October 2019, the Engineering Design Show (https://www.engineeringdesignshows.co.uk/) took place in the UK’s very own Middle Kingdom, or somewhat more modestly, the Midlands of England. Two members of the Techworks Asia team went on tour to explore the show, and also to present a workshop on ‘Marketing in China: Challenges, Pitfalls, Opportunities’.
Half a century ago, the West Midlands of England was one of the most prosperous areas in the country, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and with a long history of manufacturing. While global factors played a huge role in reshaping this landscape, figuratively and literally, today it retains an entrepreneurial spirit and drive that is strongly influenced by this legacy. Advanced manufacturing, aerospace and automotive are among the sectors pushing this region forward, as well as transport and low carbon industry.
At the Engineering Design Show 2019, design engineering companies from areas such as electronics, embedded design, Industry 4.0, IIoT, EV tech, advanced materials, and robotics were present either as exhibitors, visitors or workshop speakers.
Claire Walker and Gordon Wong of Techworks Asia presented a workshop on China marketing, covering such issues as the social media landscape in China, industry sector opportunities, latest sector trends, and tips and tricks to tailoring tech company’s messaging for maximum effectiveness and pick-up.
This included a look at the importance of building key relationships and trust, fostering improved efficiencies in labour, energy and materials encouraging green manufacturing methods, and advancing innovation. Some of the tech sectors discussed included: Electronics; Materials; Automotive; Telecoms; Energy; Agriculture; Medical; AI; Robotics; Plastics.
The importance of strategic marketing was emphasised, including the need to understand the shifting social and cultural landscape of the China market and its engineers and consumers. Understanding how China’s social media platforms can be best utilised was also communicated.
Overall, if the positive buzz around this show was an indicator of how the engineering design, and tech sector in general, is looking for the future, then there are real grounds for optimism.
Photo: courtesy of Mark Allen Group
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