Thermtest Expands To The Asian Market
FREDERICTON — Thermtest, a Fredericton company that designs, manufactures, and exports thermal physical testing instruments, is opening a HUB in Taiwan. After three years of planning the venture, staff members are set to begin work there this September.
Thermtest Asia will join other company HUBs in Latin America and Europe. The HUB in Taiwan will follow the model of the Thermtest office in Fredericton.
“What’s nice about these HUBs is that it’s us, just over there,” said Dale Hume, the company’s founder and president.
The HUBs are not your typical overseas sales office, he says. They are places for distributors to meet and for customers to bring equipment to. After establishing the new HUB, it will act independently and in close collaboration with the other Thermtest HUBs around the world.
“We are bringing in technology, knowledge, business skills from this foreign entity, from Asia, back to Canada, and Canada to them and working in collaboration and having that strong relationship,” said Lesley Hillier, chief global strategy officer at Thermtest.
As a 90 percent export company, Thermtest is in daily communication with their foreign HUBs. Though they are partners they also work autonomously, growing to meet the needs of wherever they are based.
When finding new employees in Taiwan, they looked for professionals who understood the Asian market and how to navigate the sometimes volatile trade environment. Thermtest thought that hiring people local to Taiwan would help bridge the culture gap between Canada and Asia.
“What we have been working on for several years is finding the right partnership and really getting our other HUBs and how we do it working really well in how we support them,” said Hume. “ When we go into the most promising but complex part of the world we [want to] do it right.”
When expanding to Taiwan, Thermtest was met with regulations. The trade commissioners in Asia and the embassy in Taiwan have helped them get their feet on the ground.
“One great thing out of the experience is really learning about how a business is incorporated, how things get up and running, [meeting] government regulations in a foreign country,” said Hillier.
Back at home in Canada, they feel well supported on a provincial and government level.
“It’s taking the knowledge that they are able to pass on to us, that intel and relationship has been very fundamental with our ability to grow as an export company,” said Hillier.
Thermtest wants to see other companies in Canada take advantage of this knowledge. The organic growth they try for has helped them hire foreign workers and students, collaborating with UNB on the research side and through their Co-op program.
“We promote knowledge-based jobs,” said Hillier. “We help engineers not only stay here but give them the opportunity to work on global projects.”
RELATED: Fredericton’s Thermtest Continues To Grow Thanks To Its Focus On Research And Development
While they continue to grow internationally, they are also moving to a new location on Hanwell almost triple the size of the one they are in now. The 17-year-old company started in Hume’s garage and now employs 32 people in Fredericton.
“Fredericton has been a good place to grow,” said Hume. “We have access to a sound university with graduates that are coming out of quality that we can bring in the company.”
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Rachel Smith is an intern with Huddle. Send her story suggestions: [email protected].