EDM Limited
EDM Ltd, based in Newton Heath, Manchester, who specialise in training and simulation equipment for the aerospace and other transport industries played host to the recent visit to Manchester by Gordon Brown, when he met over 100 exporting companies and launched the new UKTI gateway to Global Growth programme.
The company employ over 100 staff with have a turnover of approximately £10 million arehave recently received orders now they are about toto supply China Southern and Xiamen Airlines with cabin crew training equipment flight simulators to train crew on for the new Boeing 787 aircraft and B737-800. aircraft.
The simulators are exact reproductions of the actual aircraft and are used to ensure flight crews are trained and certified familiarin the aircraft 's normal and emergency procedures and with the complex equipment used on the aeroplanes before embarking on commercial flights.There are only fivea handful of companies worldwide who manufacture this kind of equipment - and significantly EDM is one of only two companies currently with an agreement from access to the top secret Boeing to manufacture the new B787 simulators.designs.
The firm was first alerted to the possibility of business in China by their agent there, who identified another company - Xi'an Feibao Airport Equipment Company Ltd, who are part of the huge AVIC 1 corporation. Xi'an Feibao - are the Chinese market leader in the who also design and manufacture of flight crew simulators . Xi'anand are well established with were keen to work withthe Chinese domestic airlines airlines having supplied a number of cabin and door simulators over the past few years. using Boeing 767 and Airbus 380's - but did not have a licence to reproduce Boeing's designs. It made sense for Xi'anFeibao and EDM to co-operate, giving EDM access to a major growth market - but in order to proceed EDM needed to secure Boeing's assent to their proposed relationship with the Chinese company, put in place a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and ensure their intellectual property (IP) and that of Boeing was protected. UK Trade & Investment and CBBC advised EDM on how to protect their intellectual property, and facilitated legal support for contractual documents. They also helped draft a confidentiality agreement, assisted with visa applications and discussed the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding with Xi'an Feibao.
Since then the two companies have met up several times, signed the MOU and discussed designs, and after consultations with the technicaFeibao design teaml people in China have received a $450,000 for Boeing 737 door trainers and a $300,000 order for trainers for the new Boeing 787.
Mike Bonney, Head of Sales and Business Development for EDM says,
"We began looking at the market in China three years ago but our early attempts to get into the airline business proved very difficult failed. Although we had the technology, and a high quality product, we didn't have the right contacts or advice. However, we recently acquired a new agent in China who represents companies in the airline industry, and with the additional input of UKTI and CBBC we have finally got our plans off the ground."
"The help from UKTI and CBBC was invaluable. They shaped the process and acted as mentors to us, helping us negotiate what can be a complex and long drawn out process quickly and efficiently and avoiding many of the pitfalls that can occur when setting up this sort of agreement overseas. We would encourage any other business that is hoping to enter into a strategic alliance overseas to contact them and see how they can help."