Iceland-based Marel is working to build its presence in the Chinese seafood sector as the company’s demand in the country lags behind that of other regions of the globe.
The company recently created an independent China region, with a new presence in Beijing, according to Lance Zhang, regional sales manager for Marel in China. The new independent region, he said, is intended to build the connections that are incredibly important for doing business in China.
“We always have to talk about this culture, that’s why we have this presence,” Zhang said.
Marel has struggled to gain a foothold in the country’s seafood processing sector, even as it gains a great deal of headway globally.
“Marel, we are globally growing,” Zhang said. “In China, compared with the other regions, we are not.”
Zhang said that the company has made a goal of getting closer to customers in the region, which is a part of why Marel had a presence at the China Seafood Expo in Qingdao, China.
“We have the process of globalization, that’s why we want to get close to our customers more,” Zhang said. Bringing the equipment to customers in China, and showing the accuracy and capability of the equipment, is important for growing the company, he said.
Marel recently acquired a 50 percent stake in Curio, as the company continues to expand its whitefish processing equipment capabilities. According to Zhang, China’s uptake of whitefish equipment is slower than many countries, but still an important direction for the company.
Even with the obstacles to increasing its presence in China, Marel still views the market as a highly positive environment for its equipment, Zhang said.
“We have a good forecast in two regions globally, one of them is China, and one is the Southeast Asia, Asia-Pacific region,” Zhang said.
Photo by Chris Chase/SeafoodSource
