A Scottish textiles company has established itself in the China market with the help of Jennifer Wang, an Associate of Scottish Networks International

Morton Young and Borland (MYB) has been weaving fabric at its Ayrshire based mill in Scotland for over 100 years. It is one of the few producers of traditional Nottingham Lace and the only manufacturer in the world of 100% cotton Madras.

The Irvine valley was once the home to 32 cotton manufacturers but as cheap mass produced polyester lace from the Far East poured into the country all but one closed. Now only MYB remains and the last two lace designers in the UK can be found working there.

Maintaining MYB’s operation into the 21st Century has been a difficult task. Only by focusing on the future and continuing to innovate has MYB been able to ensure its survival. In a bid to save the Scottish lace industry it has had to seek out new markets overseas.

Three years ago John Glen, Managing Director of MYB, identified China as a key potential export market for the company’s niche interior fabrics.

To succeed with a long term growth strategy, John knew it was important to find out as much information as possible about the market. This included demography, fashion trends, business and culture. The next problem was to recruit someone who had language, sales and marketing skills gained in China.

John contacted Scottish Networks International for assistance. We introduced him to Jennifer Wang, an Associate from China who had graduated from the University of St Andrews with an MLitt in Marketing.

With several years of marketing experience in China and having spent some time working in a mill, Jennifer was keen to have the opportunity to develop her skills in a similar environment in Scotland.

John observed:

‘Jennifer was the ideal candidate. Her marketing background combined with her experience of working in a mill provided her with the tools she needed to sell our products and an understanding of our culture, manufacturing processes and added value of our unique fabrics.’

Jennifer began a one year work placement with MYB in August 2005, when she took responsibility for business development in the Chinese market.

Describing her placement, Jennifer said:

‘My dissertation focused on business relationships in China and my placement enabled me to put what I had learned from that into practice. Chinese people do business based on the level of trust that has been established with their clients. Having honesty and a genuine responsibility to our customers brought about real success for us.’

After her placement Jennifer relocated back to Shanghai where she is currently representing MYB as a selling agent, liaising with the key retail clients that she established on the company’s behalf.

Reflecting on the placement, John commented:

‘The placement has proved invaluable to MYB. It would have been very difficult for us to establish ourselves in the market without someone locally based and with a firm understanding of our company and manufacturing processes. We are still new to the market but the indicators are very positive. We are dealing with the right companies and our products are being well received.’

Jennifer added:

‘The opportunity that SNI gave me meant a lot to me. It has benefited my work experience and personal skills, enriched my life experience and made me clearer about what I want from my future career.'

For more information on Scottish Networks International please e-mail matthew.knowles@britishcouncil.org or telephone +44 (0) 131 524 5743.