CellPath Ltd. established their reputation and presence in the histology and cytology sector to now supply some of the biggest companies and laboratories in Japan.
With Japan the second-largest market in the world for histology and cytology products and equipment, it was only a matter of time before CellPath Ltd. attempted to get a foot in the door.
Less than four years after company executives took part in the first UK Trade and Investment healthcare mission to Japan, the company is today supplying some of the biggest companies and laboratories in the country and has set itself a sales target of £100,000 for the year ahead.
And that success is largely a result of the assistance of the UKTI team at the embassy in Tokyo. Based in Newtown, in mid-Wales, CellPath Ltd. was set up in 1969 and today employs 60 people. Experts in meeting the needs of the cellular pathology sector, the company designs, manufactures and supplies equipment used in histology – the study of the microscopic structure of tissues – and cytology, the branch of medical biology concerned with the structure of human cells.
The company has become synonymous with innovative and proven products that are manufactured to very high standards.
“We are a specialised, independent manufacturer that works with customers to bring innovative products to market,” said Mark Wilson, business development director. “And we do that by investing in people who understand the market and the latest manufacturing tools.”
Key to that is building close partnerships with other firms to become a trusted supplier. CellPath took advantage of the UKTI team’s Overseas Market Introduction Service to get the all-important break into the Japanese market to find those initial contacts, but has now built enough of a reputation and presence here to be independent.
But Mark Wilson is grateful for UKTI’s assistance – and asked whether the company would have been able to make progress in Japan without their guidance, admits, “Probably not.”
“Without their help, it would have been very difficult to break into the market here as there are competitors and dealers that we had never heard of in Europe,” he added.
