• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Bedfordshire
  • Milton Keynes
  • Northamptonshire
  • Awards
  • Knowledge Hub
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • Sustainability
    • The Podcast
    • ATB TV
All Things Business

All Things Business

First For Local UK Business News

  • Education
  • Professional Services
    • Legal
    • Finance
    • Recruitment & HR
    • Creative Marketing
  • Property
  • Environment
    • Wellbeing
  • Industry
    • Industry
    • Manufacturing
    • Motors
    • Logistics
    • Technology
  • Events
    • Events
    • Food & Drink
    • Sport
  • News

Strategic sourcing and the Asian cost advantage

Logistics, News | September 1, 2021

New in the Milton Keynes area is the S³Group, which was founded in Barcelona in 2003, dedicated to industrial sourcing in China for Spanish companies. In 2010, the scope was extended to other markets and activities to include market development and export services, and management training in cross-cultural relations and international business.

The founder and Group CEO is Tom Van der Heyden, a Belgian who, between 1988 and 1990, studied for his MBA at one of the world’s top business schools, IESE, in Barcelona, where he not only got the MBA but fell in love with the city in which he has lived ever since.

Tom is fluent in seven languages. After graduating and working in Asia for an industrial company managing its suppliers, Tom decided to set up on his own and the S³ Group was born.

During the past 18 years the company has successfully delivered well over 100 projects in more than 50 countries and established itself as a partner of excellence for clients with its extensive range of internationalisation services. 

The company has offices in Barcelona, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and now the UK, in London and the South East Midlands region. The activities of S³ have taken it into many sectors, including:

  • Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing; 
  • Automotive, Industrial & Agricultural Machinery 
  • Consumer Goods
  • Food & Drink
  • Product Design & Engineering Services 

Its expertise, however, is not in the sector itself, but in the identification of suitable sourcing or export partners. With its full-time experts in engineering, production control and logistics management, plus boots on the ground in the foreign markets, S³ takes the time and risk out of:

  • Supplier search, selection & negotiation
  • Quality control and assurance 
  • International logistics

With years of experience and a strong presence in both Hong Kong and mainland China, S³ is a China specialist and thus well placed to help with this fast-growing market. While relations with China are somewhat strained at the moment, in the long run it is expected that British businesses will continue their fast growth in trade with the country, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economies, and still the ‘factory’ of the world, with its large manufacturing base.

At the same time, S³ is also working in other countries, such as Vietnam and Malaysia, especially for products like PPE nitrile gloves, as these countries have the rubber plantations to produce the vast quantities now being demanded as a result of COVID. 

Other products that S³ has been asked to source include glass jars, line paint and paint dispersal canisters, jigsaws, mattress components and fencing tools, as well as speciality components for medical cameras and laboratory equipment. 

One of the pillars of the growth of S³ has been its ability to be ‘at home’ in all its respective markets, with a physical presence at both ends of the supply chain. To serve the UK market, S3UK Ltd was set up with University of Northampton Associate Professor Adrian Pryce DL, one of Tom’s MBA classmates all those years ago.

Adrian is also the Deputy Director of the University’s China & Emerging Economies Centre, which supports the SE Midlands region in developing civic, cultural and commercial links with China. S3UK Ltd is now a member of both the Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire Chambers of Commerce as well as the Silverstone Technology Cluster – and wants to play an active role in supporting the regional economy and its international trade links post-Brexit.

S3UK Ltd is an exciting new addition to the region’s business scene, with its in-depth and specialist knowledge that can help companies take advantage of fast-growing markets as well as benefit from the Asian cost advantage – whilst taking the risk out of foreign sourcing and trade.

Find out more at www.S3UK.com, email info@S3UK.com or call Adrian on 07720 297402.

Northamptonshire

Related stories

  • Wayne Jenkins of Wilson Browne Solicitors Northamptonshire
    July 5, 2022

    Marketing – all buzz words, presentations and seminars?

    Ask many business owners what ‘marketing’ is, and you’ll likely get a different answer from everyone. Some will say organising events, arranging…
  • Amplitude Media Northamptonshire
    July 5, 2022

    Five days’ work in four days – are we mad?

    If you’ve been following any of the business press over the last couple of months, you’ll have heard about the historic UK…
  • Croyland Car Megastore Northamptonshire
    July 4, 2022

    Croyland celebrates winning National Award for community engagement

    The team at Croyland Car Megastore is celebrating another award win after taking the top title in a prestigious national awards ceremony.…

About Rebecca Shears

Primary Sidebar

Stay up to date on All Things Business

Get the latest business round ups, stories and ATB podcasts delivered straight to your inbox.

All Things Business Podcast

Online Edition

Northamptonshire edition, click here
Milton Keynes edition, click here
Bedfordshire edition, click here

Most Read

  • Plumbing and Gas Solutions Strategic changes to drive service to the next level
  • Scott Norville Setbacks prove challenging for lease firm and its clients
  • Eddisons Eddisons makes £1.8m property agency acquisition, strengthening Midlands operation
  • Avery Creative Motivation to find the courage to make changes
  • AFP Services AFP Services – CIMA “SME of the Year” 2022

Footer

REGIONS

Northamptonshire
Milton Keynes
Bedfordshire
 

COMPANY

About Us
Contact
Awards
Podcast
Knowledge Hub
Sustainability
Request A Copy

Northamptonshire Office

1 Queensbridge, Northampton
NN4 7BF
Tel: 01604 267677

Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire Office

The Pinnacle, 170 Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes,
MK9 1BP
Tel: 01908 030688

London Office

25 Bedford Square
London
WC1B 3HH
Tel: 0208 1760176

Follow us on

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

All Things Business is a publication produced by All Things Management Ltd. Registered in England No. 9590677


Privacy Policy