Hart ... underlined the importance of the “ enduring and excellent relationship that has developed ” between Japan and Wales .
LEAD STORY experience of doing businesses here , the task was more one of facilitating meetings with old clients , or building ties with new partners , he explained .
“ I ’ ll be very pleased with any deals that are signed as a result of this mission , but we ’ re particularly looking for longer-term deals that will run over four or five years and keep these companies coming back ”, he said . “ The financial scale of the deal is less important right now than giving these companies a new string for their bow ”.
One of the newcomers to the Japanese market was Clogau Gold of Wales Ltd . The “ phenomenal ” reaction the firm received when it recently started making its designs available on board Japan Airlines ( JAL ) flights indicates that there is a market here for its traditional and more contemporary designs .
“ This is a fact-finding trip for me as I really needed to be here to experience the culture and to understand where we need to be aiming our brand in Japan ”, said Aran Turner , manager of the firm ’ s international customer services .
The Clogau brand appeals to Japanese consumers because of its history and heritage , Turner said . Gold was first discovered in the Clogau Gold Mine in the hills of Snowdonia more than 150 years ago . The jewellery brand was founded in the early 1990s by the Roberts family to ensure that the gold still being excavated from Welsh mountains goes into fine handcrafted jewellery .
The firm won the Brand of the Year prize at the UK Jewellery Awards 2012 . This , and the fact that the British Royal
Family has been using Welsh gold for their wedding rings since 1923 , are viewed most favourably by Japanese consumers .
“ JAL customers certainly understood our brand and in the month that we [ advertised on ] the front cover of their inflight sales magazine and had a doublepage spread inside , we had one of our best sales months ever ”, Turner said .
Other firms taking part in the mission included Abergavenny Fine Food Co ., which has previously held exploratory talks with Costco Wholesale Japan , Ltd ; pharmaceutical and biotechnology experts Simbec Research Ltd .; and woollen products manufacturers Melin Tregwynt .
Aloha Telecommunications Ltd aimed to build bridges with Japanese firms in the data and telecom sector , while the chief executive officer of IQE plc , Dr Andrew Nelson , brought cutting-edge technology to Japan in the shape of advanced semiconductor wafers with a wide range of applications .
Meanwhile , Chepstow-based Reid Lifting Limited explored opportunities in Japan for its lightweight , portable lifting equipment . Its award-winning designs have proved popular across a wide range of industrial sectors , from construction to clean environments such as the Vatican .
“ These are pioneering devices and this year we have won the Queen ’ s Award for Enterprise in two categories ”, said Managing Director Nicholas Battersby .
“ We have been around for a few years now and also sell [ our products ] in
Europe . When I look at the market here , I see lots of potential ”, Battersby said . Meetings with distributors were positive while two potential end-users were “ chomping at the bit ” to put the systems to use .
“ We can work with end-users from a distance , but we will definitely have to come back to work at the distributor level ”, he said . “ And we ’ re happy to do that as we start to consolidate relationships .
“ I have high hopes for the Japanese market ”, he added .
Keith Harris , managing director of specialist chemical manufacturer ISCA UK Ltd ., had also enjoyed positive meetings with six potential distributors in Tokyo and Osaka .
Experts in preservative chemicals used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries , ISCA UK already works in other markets with some of the big names in Japan ’ s personal care sector , including Lion Corporation and Kao Corporation .
“ We already have close ties with some of the very biggest companies in the industry and we hope that will translate into a presence and sales here in Japan ”, Harris said . “ We appreciate that it will be a long road but , once we have a foothold , we intend to be here for the long run ”.
And that will probably mean opening an office to handle the Japanese side of the Newport-based firm ’ s operations , he said .
“ That ’ s the sort of presence we want and I ’ m very optimistic about the market here for us ”, he added .
Hart ... underlined the importance of the “ enduring and excellent relationship that has developed ” between Japan and Wales .
The Fujisawa Male Choir sang Welsh songs at the event .
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