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Patrick Parsons on export opportunities

Peter Stienlet, managing director of Patrick Parsons Consulting Engineers, talks to Bdaily about opportunities businesses can exploit through growing their export activity.

You have just recently returned from a business trip to China and Hong Kong to explore potential export opportunities for Patrick Parsons Limited (PPL). What prompted you to plan the trip and why is China a particular focus?

Yes, the China trip was excellent and I think will bring a whole raft of opportunities throughout this year as we build on the discussions which began out there. We’ve been interested in working with China for some time; not only because of its powerful economy and phenomenal growth over the last 30 years, but also because there are specific areas which the Chinese are keen to develop where we feel we can offer a unique expertise. For example, as the tourism industry grows in China, so does the market for leisure sports facilities such as water parks and White Water Rafting courses. Having engineered White Water Rafting courses, such as the recently opened course at [Tees Barrage](http://www.tbiwwc.com/? target=) (which is a world-first in generating electricity for the national grid), with further international contracts on the go, we’re looking to extend this aspect of our business into China. As well as the sustainability aspect of being able to create courses which generate power overall, we are also able to create courses using rapidbloc technology, which means that the course can be changed an almost infinite number of times, which obviously represents a better investment as well as increasing the lifespan of the course.

What were the most interesting aspects of the trip, and has it produced any promising leads for PPL?

One of the most interesting discoveries we made was that there is currently a renewed focus on heritage in China, with plans to restore and protect many of the buildings and monuments which are important to China’s heritage. Obviously as we have a strong reputation for heritage work at Patrick Parsons through working on projects such as Durham Cathedral and Prebends Bridge (a UNESCO world heritage site), we were keen to hear more! Through talking to representatives from the government of Hainan Province, we’ve arranged for a delegation to come over and visit us in the UK later this spring, to look at the heritage work we’ve done over here and hopefully export our skills to work on heritage projects in China.

Were there any noticeable differences between the Chinese market and the way things are in the UK?

It was noticeable that we were in an area whose economy shows no sign of slowing down! There’s an increasing market with the new wealth being distributed in China, with a whole cross-section of society suddenly looking for new ways to invest and/or spend their money. It was exhilarating to be involved in discussions on £multi-million projects such as plans to develop a water park in Hong Kong, and we are also in discussions with a hotel development company who are interested in working in partnership with us to bring their business over to the UK. The pace is clearly frenetic,but it’s great to see so many opportunities opening up within this market.

You’re in a strong position at PPL at the moment, having recently opened a new office in Chester, followed by the acquisition of Huddersfield-based Doyle Consulting Engineers. Can you give us a preview of your plans for the year ahead?

The focus for this year is to bolster numbers in each of our departments as the business at the branches in Chester and Huddersfield grows, so we will be recruiting! Also to capitalise on the overseas opportunities which are coming our way.

Firms across the North East are being encouraged to look at export as a way of growing and developing their business in the current climate. What advice would you give to companies seeking to develop or grow the export arm of their business?

I think the first port of call has got to be UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) who have been invaluable to us, both in providing a grant which helped support our China trip, but also in terms of being an excellent resource for information on every aspect of export activity, from securing funding, to export marketing and organising a trip. In terms of advice, I would emphasise the fact that be an there are no quick fixes in building relationships, especially with export. It does take time to build contacts and to nurture relationships. The process can take a lot of time and commitment, so it’s crucial to make sure that you have the staff resource and funds available at the outset.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .