LPKF Laser and Electronics of Germany was last year's Cathay Pacific China Trader Award winner for innovation and technology. The award recognises German corporations that demonstrate innovative technology and design. Company Vice President Torsten Nagel says LPKF is currently developing an eco-friendly technology that will transform high-rise buildings into new sources of energy.

What does your company do?
We produce machines that make circuit board prototypes and circuit boards for mass production. When we set up near Hannover in 1976, LPKF built its reputation for using environmentally friendly means of producing prototypes, by using the milling method, instead of chemical etching. In the early 1990s, LPKF expanded its range of services and products by developing laser systems, which are not only environmentally friendly, but also more precise in handling complex circuit boards. Today, LPKF is one of the worldwide leaders in the field of in-house board prototyping and StencilLaser.

What is the role of your Hong Kong office?
Our Hong Kong office is a service and sales office. We believe the best sales are based on good service. We opened here three years ago to give Asian customers direct access to service in the same time zone. Hong Kong is an important sales point because it's important that clients feel confident in putting their next order. We also have distributors and subsidiary offices in such mainland cities as Shenzhen, Suzhou, Beijing, Chengdu and Tianjin.

Why did you choose to base your Asia office in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is an ideal place because we can send spare parts and goods to our clients easily. It is also central to other parts of the world. Hong Kong's airport is the biggest in the region. Hong Kong is an international and centrally located city with a first-rate infrastructure.

How important is Asia to your business?
Asia represents a major part of our company's business. China, alone, is a big area, and we expect it to become even bigger. On the mainland, there is still widespread use of the environmentally unfriendly but cheaper production process of chemical etching. But as the mainland government continues to tighten its environmental regulations, it will become more expensive to produce in this way. That's where we see business opportunities for our company.

I understand that LPKF is expanding its eco-friendly production methods, particularly in the field of solar energy.

We have built our reputation by focusing on eco-friendly technology. That includes our operations on the Chinese mainland, where we have launched our green technology. We have since expanded our eco-friendly production methods in key fields, including solar cell energy.

Three years ago, we started developing laser machines to produce solar panels, called Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV), which can be attached to windows of high-rise buildings. Using thin-film technology, glass windows of high-rise buildings would be coated with a special thin film to capture energy from the sun. These are the types of technology that we can offer to help countries, like China, that want to upgrade their green technology.

How has the economic downturn affected LPKF's business plans?
Our business at the moment is stable. There have been a lot of major companies carrying R&D during the economic downturn to prepare for an economic recovery. We see a bright future once companies start producing again. After this global economic downturn, the next run will come. And I'm confident our products will stand us in good stead.