A new joint venture company with China's leading marine seal manufacturer allows MacGREGOR to expand its operations and to provide an improved service to its Asian customers

MacGREGOR has formed a new joint venture company with China's leading marine seal manufacturer, Jiangyin HaiFa Industrial Company Ltd. The new company, named Haida-MacGREGOR Jiangyin Sealing Limited Liability Company, was established on 23 May this year.

MacGREGOR has enjoyed a fruitful co-operation with the Chinese company since 1983, a relationship which was strengthened in 1996 when Jiangyin Haida (as the company was formerly known) became a supplier for MacGREGOR sponge rubber sealings. Today Haida dominates the Chinese domestic market for hatch cover seals, holding the major market share.

MacGREGOR is confident that it can integrate the sale of hatch cover seals for the Chinese domestic market into its existing business. Seals are the most important single spares item in after sales, and are one of the key components in every new sales delivery, says Markku Mattila, general manager of MacGREGOR Hatch Cover Division. The joint venture will ensure a highly developed and advanced product at a competitive price for MacGREGOR's customers in Asia.

Other significant benefits of the joint venture project include:

• increased availability of other MacGREGOR products in the Chinese domestic market through Haida's sales network
• potential to add new products to the MacGREGOR portfolio such as fenders and other marine sealings
• guarantee of high quality standards in all rubber products manufactured by Haida-MacGREGOR Jiangyin Sealing ensured by the long-standing co-operation and common product development between the two companies.