​(Communicated by the Ministry of Economy and Industry Spokesperson)

A delegation of Israeli companies providing advanced solutions for the manufacturing industry held a roadshow this week in China, including B2B meetings in Taipei, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. This is the first roadshow of 2017 led by the Israel Innovation Authority (formerly Office of the Chief Scientist). Similar activities are expected in Japan (a Fintech showcase in September 2017) and in Central China (November-December 2017).
 
The delegation included eight leading industrial companies, including: ATE – Labs Engineering, Colibri Spindles Ltd., Elbit Vision Systems Ltd., Elmo Motion Control Ltd., Frisimos Technologies Ltd., K&S Advanced Systems Ltd., LeaderMES and Precognize. The companies held hundreds of one-on-one meetings throughout the week with companies, factories and corporations in each of the Chinese cities. Apart from the B2B meetings, the event included a visit by Israeli companies to the Taiwanese Fair Friend Group corporation, the world’s third largest manufacturer of industrial machinery, including 39 different brands and 52 factories around the world.
 
These meetings enable Israeli companies to become directly acquainted with local Chinese companies– an invaluable platform for creating opportunities for R&D cooperation, investments and business relationships between Israeli and Chinese entities. These meetings play a significant part in helping Israeli companies gain familiarity with Asian markets, specifically China.
 
The roadshow was organized by the Asia-Pacific Division of the Israel Innovation Authority, with assistance of the Israel Ministry of Economy and Industry’s Foreign Trade Administration’s Economic Representatives in Taipei, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and in cooperation with local government bodies in each of the three cities. These government entities put great emphasis on incorporating technologies that provide solutions for increasing productivity, improving energy efficiency, streamlining decision making processes and creating practical solutions based on real-time conditions. For this reason, smart manufacturing was chosen as the showcase theme to spotlight Israeli innovation. The eight Israeli companies selected to be part of the roadshow are all established companies that can provide innovative solutions to local companies in these areas.
 
Avi Luvton, the Israel Innovation Authority’s Senior Director of Asia Pacific Operations, said, “In recent years, the Israel Innovation Authority has been working not only to strengthen cooperation with the countries of Asia Pacific but also to expand the fields in which Israel can offer value to the Chinese economy and help companies from diverse sectors take part in cooperative ventures. Only two months ago, the Chinese Deputy Prime Minister announced that China must invest in making manufacturing efficient and competitive, and called on provincial authorities to prioritize this issue. Therefore, we believe there is great potential in this sector and expect to see an increase in cooperation as a result of the dozens of meetings that took place during this event.”