Small Hampshire firm is big hit in china  

Plasma Quest, which is run from a business unit in Hook Hampshire, has recently sealed a £400k deal with Zhengzhou University in central China. During the process the company sort advice from exporting experts, UK Trade & Investment South East.

The firm’s founder, Professor Michael Thwaites has also been awarded a Visiting Professorship by the University for his work in plasma research and innovation. He has also been nominated for a prestigious “1000 Talents” Professorship by the Chinese government.

Professor Thwaites said:
“This deal has given us the opportunity to showcase our technology and expertise in China. This is the second large contract we have been awarded in China, but we enlisted help from UKTI to give guidance and support to ensure that this more complex order was dealt with effectively.”

“Having subsequently visited the customer in China I feel more equipped to go ahead and negotiate new business deals and am pleased with the support which is available to me.

“Taking the plunge and getting out there has paid off and we have already had a huge amount of interest in the applications for our technology across China.”

UKTI China Business Adviser, Chris Lowsley, who helped Plasma Quest and works with companies across Hampshire said:

“Approaching the Chinese market can be particularly daunting, but I see many companies who are technologically advanced winning new business in China’s growing and dynamic science based marketplace.
“It is often wrongly assumed that the UK only imports from China, but British scientific and technically based products are seeing a huge success there. In fact British exports across many sectors are increasing rapidly but we are still only scratching the surface of this important market.

Plasma Quest will now be supported by the UKTI’s popular Passport to Export scheme, designed for businesses new to exporting.

Further information from www.ukti.gov.uk