China Visit

Our Sales Director, Lee Lloyd, jetted off to China last week for a multi-purpose business visit.

First on his agenda was the Tyco audit. Tyco Fire and Security Systems are the world leader in electronic security and fire protection, and are also currently Spirit’s largest client.

The audit was based on the Tyco need to be compliant with its own industry standard bodies. Tyco staff from their China Sourcing Office in Shanghai audited our current suppliers Allfavor, Glorysky and Onpress, and also visited other suppliers that we may potentially want to introduce in the future. We are happy to report that all of the current suppliers received very good comments and feedback, and it was confirmed that Tyco would be happy to place additional business at these sites via Spirit Circuits.

As part of the audit, we held a discussion with suppliers about holding a stock hub of boards in China. Utilizing a China-based stock hub would mean that we can ship direct from there to our customers. As a result we have now put in place a VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) program with two of them. We see this as a dual benefit for both Spirit and the supplier: For us it means a reduction in stock levels and for the supplier it secures our commitment for long-term business.

Next on the agenda for Lee was a visit to our dedicated MPCB facility. With the current growth in LED Lighting applications in the UK, Spirit saw it as a necessity to liaise with the supplier to discuss expanding the MPCB’s we offer our clients. One main outcome was securing alternative panel sizes for our MPCB’s, which means we will now have better options on most requirements. We have a great business relationship with our China-based MPCB suppliers and are very pleased to announce that Spirit has secured exclusive representation in the UK.