Cashing in on the Olympic demand

Of the many millions watching the London Olympic Games, one bag maker in Fujian province is particularly proud to see the world's top athletes wearing his products.

Fan Jinfeng, general manager of Quanzhou Epoch Travelling Goods, said the company made bags for the Netherlands team and has provided bags for leading sports brands including Asics, Adidas and Dunlop.

"We have made more than 18,000 bags for the delegations attending the London Games," Fan said.

"It's an honor to be involved in the world's biggest sporting event."

The deals involving the Games are worth only $500,000, about 6 percent of the company's annual revenue. But participating in the Olympic Games helps the manufacturer upgrade its brand and attract more top brands to work with it, Fan said.

"It is the best branding campaign," he said.

Epoch is one of many Chinese manufacturers cashing in on the London Games, with about 65 percent of London Olympic merchandise made in China, including mascots, cups and clothes, according to Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group.

The involvement of Chinese products at the Olympic Games reflects the rapid rise in quality of Chinese exports, said Jin Yonghui, director of the commerce department of Zhejiang province.

At the London Games, two of every 10 fluttering flags are made by Zhejiang Wuyi Jinshi Industry.

The company has produced 40 million flags of various sizes and types for the event, said Lu Zhuyuan, its general manager.

Since the collaboration with the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, an increasing number of global clients have approached the flag maker.

In 2010, the company received orders from London and has worked on the project since October.

Dunelm supermarkets in the United Kingdom ordered 2.5 million yuan ($392,000) in folding chairs from China in November.

Most will be used for the Games, said Lou Zhiqiao of Zhejiang Shanglin Import and Export, which exported the chairs.

On the field, athletes will be competing on artificial turf made in China.

Beijing Torchgrass Co, a manufacturer specializing in artificial turf, won the bid for two soccer fields and two hockey fields worth about 10 million yuan, said Feng Yan, export manager of Torchgrass.

Answering worries whether made-in-China products will face competition from manufacturers in other countries in the coming years, Feng is confident about the quality and price Chinese manufacturers can offer.

"In 10 years, the artificial turf market will be dominated by China because of its mature technology and cost control methods," said Feng, whose company's exports are expected to surge to 150 million yuan this year from 60 million yuan last year.

wangzhuoqiong@chinadaily.com.cn