Scheduling software firm Preactor opens China offices

International advanced planning and scheduling (APS) software provider, Preactor, is expanding its presence in China by opening two dedicated China offices. The company is responding to China's new status as the country with the highest manufacturing output by opening an office in Suzhou and another in Shanghai. Preactor products allow companies to schedule production to make optimum use of finite resources to meet manufacturing deadlines. They can be integrated with existing IT software such as ERP systems. Existing Preactor users in China include manufacturers from various industries such as the automotive, food and beverage and others, and opening two new offices will ensure maximum support is available to the Chinese market.

Mike Novels, CEO of the Preactor Group, said that it was crucial to have a presence in China because of its dominant position in the manufacturing sector. "APS software is relatively new in the Chinese market, but we believe that now is the right time to expand our presence there," he said. "Many of our European and US-based customers have a plant in China, and in the last two years China has contributed to nearly 20 per cent of the world's manufacturing output, becoming the largest manufacturer. We already have offices across Europe, South America, the USA and elsewhere in Asia, and it is strategic for us to have offices in China too. We want to expand our presence there, find new partners to work with, and increase our brand awareness."

Yuguo Liu, head of Preactor in China, said the Suzhou office location had been selected because of its proximity to the key manufacturers in the country. "Close to Shanghai, it is in the middle of one of the largest manufacturing areas in China stretching from Nanjing in the north east to Hangzhou in the south west," he said. "We've also based an office in Shanghai. Our focus will be building and supporting our partner network in China as well as providing support for Preactor users. We also plan to create close relationships with companies in specific manufacturing sectors in which we are strong in other parts of the world."

The Preactor Group is aiming to extend its presence in China enough to open other offices in the country in the future. Preactor software is already used by more than 4,000 customers across 75 countries, and is translated into over 30 languages.