Posted:

An interview with He (Brian) Peng - Area Sales Manager China

An interview with He (Brian) Peng, Area Sales Manager of Innovative Sensor Technology IST AG in China, regarding the recent opening of the IST AG Shanghai Application Support Center and about the business during the last months.

He Brian Peng

It has been only few months since you moved from the US office in Las Vegas to the new site in Shanghai. What is the main business benefit from this change of location?

Innovative Sensor Technology IST AG products are built around customer requirements. We always find ourselves in the role to interface with a sensor design that meets technical as well as commercial aspects of a business. The main benefit is, that we are now able to provide better onsite support to the customer. Due to the fact, that the Chinese market is very challenging when solving methodical issues such as handling and quality control, this is clearly an advantage. Onsite meetings can lead to insights and solve issues in no time. This is a clear advantage over traditional emails. The customers always appreciate it, when we are able to visit their office or production site in person.

Looks like a lot of challenges are awaiting you. Based on your experience, what is the difference between the market in China and the US?

Customers in China typically need cost efficient sensor solutions in order to operate in this mainly low-cost driven market. IST AG in China tries to think outside the sensor component level to save on material costs and increase production yield. Ideally, this will reduce the total cost of ownership when buying IST AG sensors.  The target is to maintain a reasonable price and develop more suitable products and applications for the Chinese market.

What is the next step to increase sales in the Chinese market?

IST AG has been successfully cooperating with our Chinese distributor for more than 10 years. During the last years the industry standards in China developed towards new product development and innovation. This has led to more in-house R&D resources instead of focusing on reverse engineering only. With that, the high quality sensor market is growing significantly. IST AG’s products fit well in this market section. Our next step will be supporting our customers in developing more customized products in order to fit market demands, including high tech applications such as bio sensors.

Which region of China is the most important for IST AG - where are most of your customers located?

The east coast of China such as Shanghai and Shenzhen, where most international companies have their Chinese subsidiaries, are without a doubt the most important regions for IST AG.

What do you think about the future potential of the business for IST AG in China? What market developments do you expect?

China has the largest population and 2nd highest GDP in the world; therefore, the business potential is infinite. I believe that we will see a stable and significant sales growth in the coming years, despite the current economic downturn. We need to find the best way to support our customers and I believe that our new on site office will offer lots of support and there through increase the strong and valuable relationship we already have with our Chinese customers.