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CHINA ADDS DIMENSION ΤΟ
HUTCHISON-BOAG
FOLLOWING the
downturn of the Hong Kong construction industry, Hutchison-Boag Engineering, like many local engineering trading companies, looked across the border for business.
,
"We established our China trade department in 1984 to provide additional markets for the company," says managing director Barry Cousins. "Before we formed a department to concentrate on China business, our trade with China was minimal. But in 1985, our efforts paid off and we are progressing well.”
The customer spectrum of the company's four divisions is as diverse as the engineering products and building materials the company supplies. The divisions cover building materials and equipment, electrical engineering, environmental engineering and mechanical engineering. Each operates as a full profit centre with its own staff.
"We supply to contractors, manufacturers and government departments, as well as directly to end users,” explains Mr Cousins. "We tend to work through the architectural or engineering consultants who draw up the specifications for the end users, but we also get orders directly from contractors and we will undertake specialist contracting ourselves if the project demands it."
The mechanical engineering division covers the widest range of interests. Five subsections represent major overseas suppliers of equipment with applications from fire engineering and DC power equipment to fluid handling, instrumentation and process control to construction equipment.
"Things move fast for this division, due to the advent of microprocessor control, and there is a constant need to stay ahead of the competition in sourcing new products,” Mr Cousins says.
The electrical engineering division covers the fields of electrical distribution and power with franchises for products that enable Hutchison-Boag to offer package contracts as well as separate products.
The building materials and equipment division imports and sells a wide range of sanitaryware, building finishing materials, ironmongery, and building equipment like gondola systems and automatic doors. This division also. manufactures concrete additives and admixtures at its own blending plant at Kwai Shing Wai.
Environmental engineering is the newest division, handling equipment for sewage and industrial water treatment projects and supporting product lines like water treatment chemicals.
The company profile of Hutchison-Boag has been enhanced by the acquisition of several subsidiary companies. Trifair Electrical Engineering was bought principally for its capacity to manufacture motor control and low voltage switchpanels while the most recent acquisitions were the Fortress chain of 18 retail electrical appliance outlets and Fortress Building Materials which sells kitchen equipment to developers and end users.
Through Fortress, Hutchison-Boag has become the largest building materials supplier in Hong Kong.
BARRY COUSINS,
MANAGING DIRECTOR
OF HUTCHISON-BOAG
ENGINEERING.
D
"We established our
China trade department
in 1984 to provide
additional markets for
the company."
21
HUTCHISON WHAMPOA LIMITED
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