Many people and organisations still regard China as a source of cheap imported manufactured goods through which consumers benefit from low prices but which many manufacturers and retailers see as difficult and unfair competition.

Many smaller companies would like to become more competitive by accessing lower cost suppliers but feel they lack the scale, buying power, commercial influence and knowledge to do it. They fear that any cost savings would be eroded by the expense of travelling to China to set up and service the deal, making arrangements and attending to quality control and shipping. This might be true if borne entirely as a one-off but Marel's constant presence in China can cut out, or entirely remove many of these costs making even small batches economically viable.

Small companies feel that they cannot afford or will not risk the investment needed to research an overseas supply chain and, in reality, it is a risky business with many pitfalls and problems for even the most cautious and astute. These days this is not the case and Marel has a proven track record in helping companies successfully procure even fairly small production runs.