Patrick Parsons secures new China work (From The Northern Echo)

Patrick Parsons secures new China work

10:59am Tuesday 14th February 2012 in North-East Business News By Owen McAteer

AN engineering firm winning contracts across the world for its expertise in white water canoe courses, has secured new work in China.

North-East based Patrick Parsons has been engaged by the Chinese Tourist Board to work on a number of projects later this year.

It has also secured work with a Chinese based hotel company, closer to home in the North of England, after 10 days of meetings across China and Hong Kong.

It comes three years after the firm diversified into the white water courses, recently completing work on the £4.6m upgrade of the Tees Barrage course in Stockton, which is on the approved list to be used as a training facility by Olympic teams, as well as two courses to be used by canoeists and white water rafters in Russia.

Patrick Parsons managing director Peter Stienlet and Chin Joon Gan of Doyle Consulting Engineers, which the Parsons Group recently acquired, met with the Chinese Tourist Board, as well as representatives of Ocean Park in Hong Kong and a multi-national hotel development company in Wenzhou on a visit supported by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC).

As well as carrying out work for the tourist board the Newcastle firm could potentially collaborate on phase two of Ocean Park

In addition the hotel development company in Wenzhou has engaged Patrick Parsons to work with them to deliver projects across the North of England.

Mr Stienlet said: "This was a hugely productive trip, with several opportunities in the pipeline as a result.

"Next month we're very much looking forward to a visit from a delegation from the Hainan provincial government to inspect our heritage work, which could see us working to deliver heritage projects in China.

"We're also very keen to build on our successes with white water rafting courses across China in the near future."