Prosper Engineering Ltd

When Prosper Engineering started sourcing its core industrial bolt product from China, it faced a seemingly impossible task...

...finding staff with the necessary language, technical and negotiation skills to place, chase and manage orders from the company's head office in Irvine, Ayrshire, in conjunction with its quality assurance operation 6,000 miles away in Shanghai.

"We didn't really think we were going to have much luck when we started looking around in Ayrshire, but were quite surprised that we got a number of good candidates," explained director John Lithgow.

Prosper consulted the Scottish Executive's Relocation Advisory Service to help secure a work permit for Hongmei Yuan, 28, who had spent her University holidays working for Prosper and who had graduated just over two years previously from the University of Paisley with a BA and MSc and also held a BSc from a Chinese university.

Using the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme, which allows overseas graduates from Scottish universities to work in Scotland for at least two years without the need for a work permit, the company then hired Dongling Shi, 25, who had just graduated from the University of Glasgow with a Masters in Business Management and also had two legal and management degrees from Chinese universities. They are now Prosper's China purchasing manager and purchasing assistant respectively.

"Trying to get Chinese speakers was hard enough, but trying to get people who were also numerate and had a good eye for detail was always going to prove difficult, so we were very pleased to get candidates who understood all of those things," Lithgow said.

"With technical information, it's so easy to make a small mistake that could have a significant impact on the order. We're now able to make sure our purchasing team here is not encumbered by language and also there's an innate understanding of Chinese business culture. Having people who understand what's appropriate and what isn't working alongside the longstanding professionals in our purchasing department is really a very powerful combination.

"The abilities and high level of education of some of these individuals means it's very easy for us to see them progress through the group. Because China is going to form a very central part of our future, it’s obvious that they will too."

Case study:2007

Contact

John Lithgow
Director
Prosper Engineering Ltd
3 North Newmoor Industrial Estate
Arkwright Way
Irvine
KA11 4JU
Tel: 01294 224400
Web: www.prosper-engineering.com