Experts say hi-tech companies in the Midlands are building relationships with East European partners as they look for links closer to home.

Businesses are moving supply chain production away from countries like China and India as they strive to maintain quality and retain intellectual property over products, according to solicitor Harrison Clark.

Speaking after the MSI Global Alliance Europe, Middle East and Africa Regional meeting, head of Harrison Clark commercial department Robert Capper said the firm was seeing a trend in hi- tech companies looking for links with Eastern Europe.

“Hi-tech clients are constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of their products but at the same time to safeguard their intellectual property,” he said.

“It’s clear from past experience that while China has the technical expertise to manufacture hi-tech products, the chances of that technology being reverse engineered and copied is high so it has become a far less attractive prospect for the hi-tech sector.

“Political dynamics in the region and long travelling times have also made companies reconsider India and look at taking their production operations to Eastern Europe, where quality can be maintained and counterfeiting is less common.

“Along with our clients, global giants like Audi, LG Phillips and Hewlett Packard are already taking advantage of low labour costs and a qualified workforce to make their supply chains as cost effective and efficient as possible.

MSI Global Alliance (MSI) is among the world’s most established international accounting and law associations and networks, and has over 250 member firms in 100 countries.

The Harrison Clark team attended the MSI event to reinforce the partnerships it has established with other professional services firms across the globe, including East European countries.

“We have already made strong connections with member firms operating in Poland, the Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Hungary and the event gave us the opportunity to explore further links with businesses in the area,” Mr Capper said.