Ronson’s MD, Gordon New, on AGMA Trade Mission to China

Presentations at the China Gear Manufacturers Association

For 12 days in October an 11 member AGMA trade mission visited China.

The purpose was to foster potential business relationships, fact-find and gain an appreciation into one of the fastest developing gear manufacturing markets in the world.

Our MD, Gordon New, was one of those members who participated, and it will certainly help us plan for the future as the visit provided much food for thought. These kind of fact-finding missions are essential if we are to continue to provide world class capability to our customers.

The delegation visited Beijing, Tianjin, Xi’an, Changzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Wenling City – and WOW…what an eye-opener!

Matt Croson, AGMA’s President, put it best in his follow-up than you letter to delegates. ‘It was an eye-opening experience for me; I came away impressed with the size and scope of the gear manufacturing companies we saw. Their manufacturing capabilities were world class and operating at an extremely high level……China is focussed on innovation and world class manufacturing. The numbers and sheer scale are fascinating’.

The mission participated in company tours, business meetings and dialogue that provided a better understanding of the Chinese gear market, potential trading partners and an insight into how Chinese suppliers operate in today’s business environment.

A typical smaller gear shop. Clean, tidy and well organised.

Some of the companies we visited were managing some the largest gear production facilities many of the delegates had ever seen. Forget low-cost production, delegates witnessed world-class technology, Industry 4.0 applications, robotic processes and Automated Guided Vehicles. Impressive in both scale and technology.

This mission served to emphasise to us all, how crucial it is for members to stay aware of developing markets. Because many times we can learn and develop ourselves!

For any questions about how to get involved with AGMA’s global efforts, please contact Jill Johnson at jill.johnson@agma.org.