Member Article

International visit puts Arrow on course for Far Eastern expansion

One of the UK’s leading manufacturers of professional cleaning and maintenance chemicals received a Chinese seal of approval recently.

Arrow Solutions was praised for the performance of its cleaning solutions, its manufacturing facilities and its health and safety track record during a high profile visit from the Industrial Cleaning Association of China (ICAC).

24 delegates from 18 companies were given a guided tour of the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Moira and a detailed presentation into the firm’s desire to grow its presence in the Far East.

The group, which spent ten days in the UK, also received firsthand experience of the technical capabilities of some of Arrow’s key products, including industrial degreasers such as Lotoxane® and Aquaklenz LF, as well as Ecowash Autoshine, a train washing formulation already in use with several rail operators in China.

“We were the only chemical manufacturer that the delegation chose to visit during their stay and that is a massive seal of approval for what we are trying to do,” explained Jonathan Lane, Sales Director at Arrow Solutions.

“As a state-backed organisation with over 600 members, ICAC is very influential in China and it has a very pro-active approach to improving the quality standards and environmental performance of the sector it represents…two areas we can certainly assist it with.”

He continued: “There was a lot of interest in our processes, our ability to deliver new solutions and our track record in supporting clients in aerospace, rail, oil and gas and heavy engineering.”

The delegation was arranged to mark Arrow’s first birthday of its Shanghai operation, which provides sales, technical and warehousing functions to a growing customer base in the Far East.

In just a short space of time, the company has already secured a number of high profile contracts with major organisations, such as the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), Beijing Metro and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

Boyang Zhou heads up Arrow Trading Shanghai and has so far overseen the roll-out, promotion and expansion of its Far East presence.

“This was a very interesting trip for our members as they got to see a world class manufacturing facility and how Arrow produce cleaning and maintenance solutions that could be really important to firms operating in China,” added Ma Chunling, Deputy Secretary General of ICAC.

“We were very impressed with the processes it has in place and the way it values its workers, who are crucial to what the company does. This initial visit will hopefully create a platform for our members to build relationships with Arrow and explore ways where they can use the technology to improve cleaning and environmental performance.”

Jinliang Yang, General Manager of Karamay Youlian Industrial Co, added his support: “Our business works with a lot of clients supplying the oilfields and there is a definite issue with crude oil contamination. What I’ve seen during the tour has shown me that there could be an alternative to physical cleaning and that the right chemical solutions could be the answer to some of our issues.”

He concluded: “The fact that Arrow Solutions has a presence on the ground in Shanghai is very important as it provides a bridge between the manufacturing operations in the UK and the technical requirements of what we need in China.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .