Letzel travels to China

LETZEL IN CHINA

In an attempt to expand GSSI’s Supplier Network and improve existing relationships Jim Letzel, President of GSSI, traveled to China on September 6 to meet with printers, packagers, premium goods suppliers and paper mills. Letzel was in Shanghai, Shandong, Qing Dao and Beijing returning on the 27^th after meeting with over 20 suppliers. “We enjoy excellent relations with a number of South China suppliers and have, this year, sought to expand our network in Northern China. We believe this to be important as South China faces rising costs on a number of fronts. They have been very successful to date in holding the line in regards to price increases to GSSI but the pressure is growing and we believe it prudent to look to North China and other locations in order to provide our Clients with the lowest manufacturing costs available,” Letzel said.

“GSSI has maintained relations in the Shanghai area for years but we felt we needed to expand both our printer base as well as the number of packaging firms we deal with on a regular basis”, reports William Ting, GSSI’s Director of Sourcing and Marketing. “We will never be satisfied thinking that we have a full complement of suppliers and the companies with whom we work know that. “

In Shanghai GSSI met with a multi-faceted firm capable of large format as well as art book and automotive quality printing. The firm has newly installed a microflute corrugated line capable of the most advanced, strong and lightweight packaging in the industry called the “G” flute. This equipment is state-of-the-art and new for Northern China. Letzel was able to sign a Cooperative Agreement with the firm to represent them in the United States.

In Qing Dao GSSI began work on a new line of business following our interest in promising ventures where we import product for sale in the United States. Jim Letzel toured the factory of an Electric Motorcycle maker to determine if they could support our push into the retail market for these vehicles. Jim was impressed with the potential for this product in the US and we have entered into a deal to bring the bikes in through our Global Discoveries Division.

In Beijing the goal was to meet to explore the possibility of importing paper into the US from Chinese mills. We met with Officials and discussed the grades, prices and quantities needed to ensure support. These talks were highly encouraging with data gathering and communication ongoing.

“Overall, we wanted to expand our business and know that each time we visit new opportunities present themselves. China is expanding so fast that limits on success are really self-imposed. We expect to develop a successful import business using our connections and understanding of how China works. That knowledge takes years to build and we’ve put in the sweat equity. Now we plan to reap the benefits of that hard work”, Letzel concluded.