Press Releases

CERRITOS, Calif. - Feb. 23, 2017 - Toolots is pleased to announce the sale of the first United States manufactured product offered on our online marketplace, following the launch of our Made in USA network earlier this year. The sale was for a MS100 Media Separator, part of Cyclone Manufacturing’s dust collector line. Based in Southwest Michigan, Cyclone Manufacturing has over 40 years of experience and expertise in the industry and proudly engineers and manufactures sandblasting equipment and supplies. As a company we are excited to see our vendors succeed, and to delighted to know the manufacturing industry in the U.S. continues to grow.

Toolots Hosts Free Expo Feb. 22 to Promote the Role of Women in U.S. Manufacturing, Trades and Related Industries

Toolots, an online distributor of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment and technology, is hosting a free expo Feb. 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., “Women in the Trades, Logistics, Manufacturing and Engineering.” The expo is a great opportunity for students to meet successful women who already work in the trades – a field that is growing nationally and is in need of a dedicated, educated workforce to bolster U.S. manufacturing.

The event is offered by the Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board (SELACO), Cerritos College and the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Linked Learning Consortium (AMETLL). Toolots is hosting the event at its headquarters, located at 16300 Shoemaker Ave. in Cerritos, Calif. 90703.

“We are happy to support SELACO and other partners in promoting the entrance of women into the trades, a career path that is in increasingly high demand,” said Raymond Cheng, Toolots chief operating officer. “The event was designed to help students better understand the industry, and give them a unique opportunity to meet one-on-one and connect with women who have successfully entered the trades.”

Student registration for the expo begins at 9:30 a.m. Toolots representatives will welcome the group of more than 100 students expected to attend. The day’s panel discussions, involving five women who serve as engineers, instructors, designers and more within the trades, start at 10:15 a.m.

Panel participants include:

• Ashley Davitt, senior design engineer with ACCO Engineered Systems in Orange County, whose work focuses on heating, ventilating and air conditioning design within commercial buildings. She oversees design, construction and commissioning of projects in offices, laboratories, schools and manufacturing centers. She graduated from California State Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and is a state-registered mechanical engineer in California.
• Jeanne Carnegie, a senior quality assurance engineer with Arconic Fastening Systems and Rings, deals with supplier management and works with IT programmers. She previously developed procedures with the Shimadzu Corporation for the manufacture of landing gears for planes, writing the manual for their operation. She has also worked in loss control engineering and developed an electronic system to collect information in the refinery and drilling industry.
• Lisette Cruz, a pre-apprenticeship instructor with the Bridging Outstanding Opportunities with Tradeswomen Skills and a member of The Sisters in the Brotherhood, works to help women enter into successful careers in the union carpentry trades. Through The Sisters of the Brotherhood, she conducts outreach to mentor women considering carpentry as a career, and men who have the same interest. Since 1990, Cruz has been a member of The Sisters of the Brotherhood and Joiners of America. She received diplomas in carpentry home building maintenance and welding.
• Mary Wall, director of operations at JMC2, where she provides clients with practical, innovative solution as a civil engineer. She began her career in structural engineering with Grossman & Speer Associates. She also managed numerous residential subdivision developments as a project manager for CTA Inc. and Lewis Homes, which was later acquired by KB Home. She managed the operations as 50 percent owner of DW Wall Construction Inc. and additionally, has conceived, designed, built and successfully run a restaurant, which she later sold. She has experience overseas coordinating the startup of a special needs school in China. She received a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a Master’s of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Southern California.
• Viridiana Hernandez, a graduate student in Cerritos College’s Engineering Design and Plastic/Composite Tool Design programs, and is finishing up her last year at California State University, Los Angeles to earn a degree in Industrial Technology. She works for Con-Tech Plastics, a plastic injection molding company located in Brea, and attends school full-time.

Following the panel discussions, two representatives from Manhattan Beach-based organization Polishing the Professional will lead a presentation, “Breaking Down the Barriers.” Davina Douthard, chief executive officer of Polishing the Professional, and her seminar and training coordinator, Anais Maseda, will lead the discussion at 11:30 a.m.

Polishing the Professional provides leadership, imaging direction and personal branding services to a variety of clients – from designing programs, hiring and evaluating staff to monitoring fiscal operations, according to its website. Douthard also leads the Davina Douthard Foundation, a 501c3 public benefit corporation.

From noon to 2 p.m., students will have an opportunity to meet individually with a wide range of companies within the trades. Students are free to ask company representatives questions, get to know more about what their organizations do, and make a lasting impression.

Find more information and the schedule of events for the Women in the Trades, Logistics, Manufacturing and Engineering Expo. Parking is available in the lots to the north and south of Toolots headquarters. This event was made possible with the support of SELACO, AMETLL California Career Pathway Trust Fund Grant and Cerritos College.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States, as well as in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. For more information about Toolots, visit their website at www.toolots.com.

Toolots will be attending World of Concrete’s 2017 43rd trade show hosted at the Las Vegas Convention center later this week

Photo courtesy of MCAA.org

CERRITOS, Calif. - January 18, 2017 - Toolots, Inc., a California-based provider of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment, and technology, will be attending the World of Concrete (WOC) Trade Show held in Las Vegas, Nevada from this Wednesday January 18, 2017 to Friday January 20, 2017.

The WOC features international equipment manufacturers and U.S. based distributors of tools, services, and machinery for the concrete, construction, and manufacturing industries (WOC). The event will include more than 500,000 square feet of exhibition space, and is scheduled to have roughly 1500 exhibitors from U.S. based manufacturing companies.

Toolots’ Vice President of Product Operations Daniel De La O and Director of Global Commerce Services Grant Montgomery will be in attendance to speak with U.S. based manufacturing companies like Vytek and BitWizard interested in selling their products domestically through Toolots’ E-commerce marketplace or internationally through Toolots’ Global Commerce Services initiative.

Daniel De La O said Toolots is “excited for the potential to offer our customers industrial concrete machines, equipment, and parts.” He continued by explaining that the industrial machinery and equipment industry is vast, and Toolots has started 2017 exceptionally well signing up new merchants to their marketplaces.

“There’s a lot of room for growth, exploration, and opportunity in the industrial sector for product lines we haven’t considered yet,” De La O said. He explained that by entering different sectors of the industrial manufacturing space, the company as a whole could easily see continued expansion of product lines in their marketplaces and Global Commerce Services initiative.

“Toolots’ expansion will only become larger as we continue our efforts to partner with manufacturers from a wide variety of different, and often unique, industries,” De La O added. He continued by explaining the benefits of Toolots’ growth would be far reaching. “It will allow our customers and network of vendors more opportunities moving forward.”

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States and China. For more information about Toolots, visit their website at www.toolots.com.

Jason Fu during his presentation on Toolots' unique business model.

CERRITOS, Calif. - January 16, 2017 - Toolots, Inc., a California-based provider of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment, and technology hosted an investor conference on January 14th for a variety of interested investors and entrepreneurs accompanied by the attendance of several local press outlets. The event was the latest of three successful conferences hosted by Toolots in the last month, and saw a significantly larger turnout than initially anticipated.

The conference began with Mason Wang, Toolots’ Chief Operating Officer China Division, greeting guests and invited attendees to visit the Toolots China Office in Hangzhou and Ningbo. The event was then followed by individual introductions by each attendee and a tour of Toolots’ warehouse personally lead by Founder and CEO, Jason Fu. During his tour, he outlined Toolots’ expedited fulfilment process and highlighted several of the company’s best selling products such as their lathes and plastic injection molding machines.

Fu providing 40+ investors a tour of Toolots' best selling items in their warehouse.

During his presentation Fu, who originally coined the term Internet 4.0, discussed Toolots’ logistics, their unique business model, and the success of their companion app, YuuTool. “Toolots differs from Amazon and Alibaba marketplaces because we specialize in the sale of industrial products and focus on the importance of aftersales services” Fu stated. He continued by citing YuuTool as the Toolots’ latest endeavor to ensure the satisfaction of each customer following initial sale, while simultaneously connecting the manufacturing community together. The event was concluded by an enthusiastic Q&A session and mixed discussion between Fu and attendees lasting for roughly an hour.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States, as well as in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. For more information about Toolots, visit their website.                                                ###

Toolots, Inc. on track to successfully add 100 U.S. manufacturers to its network by year's end

CERRITOS, Calif. - January 12, 2017 - Toolots, Inc., a California-based provider of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment, and technology, announced early this month their projection to add 100 new United States-based companies to their network to sell and export their products to Asia in 2017, with additional domestic distribution. Within the two weeks following Toolots’ announcement, the company has successfully signed up three new U.S. based companies, and currently are finalizing discussions to add another three companies within the next week. Toolots Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jason Fu said by adding 100 U.S. based companies to their network in 2017, Toolots would be one step closer to achieving their goal to foster better relations between the U.S. and China, bridging the gap between manufacturers on both sides of the Pacific.

Toolots' Headquarters in California.

Thus far in 2017, the manufacturing industry has seen an overall rising trend following reports of the industry expanding at its fastest rate since 2009 in December 2016; major automotive manufacturing companies like Fiat and Apple planning to build facilities in the U.S.; and U.S. Steel reopening a facility closed after previous industry decline. More recently, Jack Ma, founder and chairman of the international trade enterprise Alibaba Group, met with President-Elect Donald Trump to discuss plans to focus on U.S. job creation, market expansion, and strengthening U.S. and Chinese relations by signing one million U.S. based smaller businesses to sell on their site.

This concept is not unfamiliar to Toolots, as Fu expressed similar sentiments in May 2016 to Industrial Distribution.com and again a few months later during a July 2016 interview with Cutting Tool Engineering Magazine. Fu explained that Toolots Inc. and Toolots.com are two vital tools that can be used to foster international trade relations and global benefits for both the U.S. and China specifically within the manufacturing industry. Since its establishment in 2011, Fu’s vision has always been to use Toolots to "help streamline industrial commerce between the United States and China and build lasting relationships that lead to economic growth" for all involved.

Fu stated, "I have always wanted to use this company to increase domestic opportunity here in the U.S., to sustain and create new American jobs, and expand domestic manufacturing resources and profits in manufacturing. We do this through exporting products to manufacturing companies in China and East Asia who demand U.S. manufactured products and goods."

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States and China. For more information about Toolots, visit their website at www.toolots.com.

Fu discusses Toolots' logistics and 2017 projections with ~30 investors in attendance.

CERRITOS, Calif. - January 7, 2017 - Toolots, Inc., a California-based provider of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment, and technology hosted their first investor meeting for the 2017 quarter last weekend. Roughly 30 California based investors, with backgrounds ranging from finance to science and technology, attended the event to discover more about Toolots’ unique e-commerce marketplace.

Jason Fu, founder and CEO of Toolots,Inc., began the event by discussing Toolots’ evolution and expansion with attending investors since the company’s creation in 2011. During his presentation, Fu outlined Toolots’ goal to achieve lasting economic growth for the U.S. and China by building strong relationships and streamlining industrial commerce. He concluded by sharing the launch of Toolots’ new Global Commerce Services initiative, including their projection to expand their current manufacturing network by at least 100 companies in 2017.

Hermann Liu of Andra Capital gives presentation discussing the qualities of beneficial investments.

Hermann Liu, Managing Partner at Andra Capital, stated that the “quality of the entrepreneur [Jason] and the business is what sets Toolots apart and makes their success” following his presentation discussing the necessary steps companies must take to “cross the chasm”. Liu cited Jason Fu’s resilience and execution as two of the CFO’s best qualities and critical to the company’s successful expansion and operation thus far. “Jason has a vision and is not driven by finances”, Liu said and continued by explaining “he genuinely wants to do good and better both the U.S. and China.” Liu also stated Toolots is unique as Amazon and Alibaba can’t immediately compete with Toolots due to the fact that they lack the necessary presence respectively within the U.S. and China.

“I have seen first hand the way he interacts with his investors, his employees, and vendors, and it’s very admirable and genuine” Liu concluded.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States, as well as in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. For more information about Toolots, visit their website.

For more information or questions, contact Samantha Hyatt, Toolots' Director of Public Affairs, at shyatt@toolots.com or 1 (844) 866-5687.                                                                                                                ###

CERRITOS, Calif. - January 6, 2017 - Toolots, Inc., a California-based provider of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment, and technology, concluded 2016 by hosting several major investment entities, located locally throughout Southern California, for a year end investor conference on December 23,2016.

Investor attendees had the opportunity to tour Toolots’ 114,000-square foot facility including the company’s expanded warehouse where their fulfillment and shipping processes occur. However discussing Toolots’ recent and future achievements was the primary focus.

Jason Fu, founder and CEO, lead the discussion highlighting Toolots’ major accomplishments and positive growth in 2016. One such topic included Toolots’ successful launch of their E-Commerce site, and its subsequent expansion, earlier this year in May of 2016.  Toolots’ E-Commerce model emulates major online marketplaces like Amazon, Ebay, and Aliexpress. However Fu explained it improves upon these markets by focusing exclusively on the manufacturing and machining community to allow its customers and vendors the freedoms of access and variety without sacrificing product or customer service quality. Following this accomplishment Toolots launched its free companion app, YuuTool, to connect the manufacturing community both domestically and internationally with quality machine service and repair.

George Zhao, Director of Chinese Ministry for the Kay Family Foundation located in Irvine, CA, was in attendance and stated he was excited and encouraged by the fact that Toolots is essentially “within a niche market, [and] mastering one area of business instead of being mediocre at many” which will allows them to focus on the manufacturing community. Zhao stated that a significant gap currently exists between the U.S. and China’s manufacturing and machining communities. “Toolots is building a manufacturing bridge between the U.S. and China,” Zhao stated as a major factor in strengthening manufacturing capabilities that the domestic and international manufacturing communities could notably benefit from.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States, as well as in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. For more information about Toolots, visit their website.

Toolots’ current projection for 2017 includes the addition of 100 new U.S. based companies to their network to sell and export their products to Asia

CERRITOS, Calif. - January 3, 2017 - Toolots, Inc., a California-based provider of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment, and technology, is starting the new year with plans to induct 100 U.S. based manufacturing companies join their network. Expansion of Toolots’ industrial online marketplace will double their product offerings from four lines to at least eight in the first few months of 2017. Furthermore, Toolots’ industry products within their marketplace will see an expansion in green energy, medical research and equipment, automation, material handling, and food production categories.

Toolots’ announcement comes during a global shift in the political climate within which the U.S. is focused on profitability from exporting goods to countries, like China, who are eager to import quality products. This change allows U.S. companies to expand domestic resources and jobs to match the demand for imported goods in foreign markets.

Jason Fu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Toolots Inc., stated Toolots’ aim has always focused on “fostering international trade relations amongst businesses and by adding 100 U.S. based companies to our network we increase domestic opportunity by creating jobs here in the U.S. and by expanding domestic manufacturing resources and profits through product exportation.”

One contributing factor to the success of Toolots’ plan is their upcoming role as the organizers for a June 2017 conference in Ningbo, China. The US-China Medical Device Summit will include two days of panels and networking for major U.S. and Chinese players in the industry, followed by a third day for tours of the manufacturing industrial parks. Fu stated success would be accomplished through the culmination of the company’s “hard work and efforts.”

Toolots’ announcement follows the launch of their companion smartphone app YuuTool in December 2016, the completion of their inaugural Manufacturing Summit hosted locally in Cerritos, CA August 2016, and their expansion to a larger facility this past July 2016.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States and China. For more information about Toolots, visit their website.

During keynote speech, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and U.S. Congressman Ed Royce addresses international attendees at Toolots’ inaugural event

U.S. Congressman Ed Royce addresses guests at the Toolots Inaugural Manufacturing Exchange Summit Aug. 29, 2016

CERRITOS, Calif. – Aug. 29, 2016 – U.S. Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee since 2013, addressed an international audience at the Toolots Manufacturing Summit on Monday. He spoke about the need for international trade agreements that provide mutual benefit for both the United States and China, and advocated increased dialogue and collaboration with global partners.

Royce's speech was one of many given by distinguished guests from the private and public sectors in both countries at the event hosted by Toolots, an E-Commerce business headquartered in Cerritos, Calif. that provides industrial machinery, tools and equipment to worldwide manufacturers.

“One of our goals is to deepen and expand ties between Asia and the United States,” Royce said, speaking to industry, government and thought leaders from the United States and China. “We want everyone in this room to have a level playing field.”

The Congressman, who represents the 39th District of California and also serves on the House Financial Services Committee, said one aspect of the U.S. government’s focus is on cultural exchanges between the two countries – but it’s deeper than that.

“(It’s also) on the issues of how we can address some of the mutual concerns; how we can get a bilateral treaty and an agreement with high standards for mutual benefit,” he added. “We want to open market access for our manufacturers who are trading.”

Recognizing California’s significance to not only the U.S. but world economies, Royce said “trade here is in our DNA” and pointed out the state does approximately $165 billion each year in the import/export industry.

After speaking to the audience about California’s place in the world and ways China and the United States can work together to solve mutual problems, from intellectual property protection concerns to customs and regulatory issues, Royce presented Toolots Chief Executive Officer Jason Fu with an American flag flown over the U.S. Capitol. It was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity provided by the Architect of the Capitol.

Later, Royce expressed appreciation for the opportunity to meet with international leaders at the Summit. He stressed both the value and importance in interacting with world leaders to solve shared problems.

“That strategy of continuing to engage is one I think is very important for the United States and China,” he added.

Toolots Inaugural Manufacturing Exchange Summit brings together key individuals from the U.S. and China for open, honest and productive dialogues

CERRITOS, Calif. – Aug. 29, 2016 – Monday was the first of the three-day Inaugural Manufacturing Exchange Summit, involving key discussions between industry, government and thought leaders from both the United States and China. The Summit was hosted at Toolots, Inc. headquarters in Cerritos, California, and served as a bridge to connect leaders in both countries through open, honest and productive dialogues.

The panel on Protecting Intellectual Property included Bill Mongelluzzo, senior editor of the Journal of Commerce; Vice-Mayor of Yuyao, China, Han Baishun; Frank Cullen Jr. with the GIPC; Gu Liquin, deputy chief of the Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone; Jason Yu and Jonathan Jaech, partners and attorneys at law with Los Angeles-based Snell & Wilmer

The first topic addressed was intellectual property protections, and ways manufacturers can ensure their innovative technologies remain out of the hands of counterfeiters or those who seek to illegally replicate the products through patent or trademark infringement. Crediting the strides China has made in recent years was Frank Cullen Jr., executive director of intellectual property policy with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC), who pointed to China’s rising through the ranks of the GIPC’s Global Intellectual Property Index. It analyzes the strength of intellectual property (IP) laws in trading countries around the world, enforcement efforts and other considerations.

Cullen recognized recent enforcement actions by Chinese authorities to stifle the proliferation of counterfeit products from not only trade ports and factory floors, but also the online stores where illegitimate products are sold in the first place. Preserving brand integrity and protecting innovation are protected is critical to IP worldwide, he said.

“Great progress has been made and I’m seeing openness relating to intellectual property, but there is still room for improvement” Cullen said, describing the increased attention Chinese authorities are paying to illegal efforts by counterfeiters and increased domestic enforcement efforts against others who seek to tilt the playing field. “You know, the U.S. used to be a leader in enforcement (based on the Global IP Index). We’re No. 5. So we need to do a little bit of a better job ourselves, and certainly improvement can go around.”

Vice Mayor of Yuyao, China, Han Baishun, also acknowledged a shared responsibility to protect intellectual property originating from international businesses. He added that there is an intellectual property protection association based in China that investigates and follows up on related complaints, in addition to a wide range of government agencies that do the same.

“We need to be the ones protecting intellectual property, not just you,” Baishun said, addressing U.S. leaders also involved in the panel discussion. “We need to include everybody (in these dialogues), follow statewide law and have overarching laws around our country. It’s important to pay attention to the international points of view; we can learn from the others.”

Chinese government officials report complaints of intellectual property theft to enforcement hubs in Beijing and other key areas, Baishun explained.

Deputy Chief Gu Liquin of the Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone, a Chinese governmental organization, added, “I believe that to protect intellectual property is to protect our collective future.”

He pointed to an example in December where a Chinese company was discovered to have violated existing trademarks. “We asked them to remove the products immediately,” Liquin said. “We do and we will always try our best to protect intellectual property rights.”

The country’s circuit court provides individuals and corporations with a “comprehensive process that provides you with the rights you should have,” Liquin said.

The discussion was moderated by veteran journalist Bill Mongelluzzo, senior editor of the Journal of Commerce, which provides leading coverage of trade and transportation around the world.

Attorneys Jason Yu and Jonathan Jaech, partners with Los Angeles-based Snell & Wilmer, contributed their expertise on intellectual property and patent law, describing how the legal process differs in China and the United States. Generally speaking, it costs less to file a lawsuit compared to the United States, and the process is much quicker.

Yu said the average lawsuit in the state of California takes about 20 to 24 months from start to finish, while the process can take only a matter of weeks in China and fees are much lower. However, lawsuits in the U.S. allow for greater discovery to take place, a legal term to describe the process where evidence is shared between the prosecution and the defense.

“I’m where the rubber meets the road, as a litigator,” Yu said, adding that patents are of great value in protecting intellectual property beforehand. Yu and Jaech explained that patents are a critical piece of the intellectual property puzzle, whether that is in the United States, China or in both countries.

If a patent is worth money in the United States, Jaech said it is also worth money in China and worth investigating to add a new layer of infringement protections.

Vice Mayor Baishun elaborated, stating that there are no regional differences between patents across all of China. If it is valid in one Chinese province, it is valid statewide, according to Baishun.

Describing what could help drive increased foreign investments into the Chinese marketplace, Cullen with the U.S. Chamber’s Global Intellectual Property Center said removing the uncertainty some companies have is essential.

“When you have IP systems that are strong and create protections for companies, you will see a direct link to investment. Access to capital comes when you (companies) say, ‘I’m able to secure this product in the marketplace,’” he said.

Following the panel, founder and chief executive officer of Toolots, Jason Fu, remarked, “I’ve learned a lot through these discussions and speeches given by our distinguished guests.”

Fu described how he came to the United States as a Chinese immigrant in the 1990s, dreaming of coming to the country and starting a business since he was young. The successful business owner has owned and operating a wide range of companies throughout his career, but said it all came together when he created an online marketplace for industrial tools through the Bolton Group shortly after emigrating from China. Capitalizing on the Internet as a sales platform early on, Fu said the introduction of Google AdWords was “revolutionary” in helping connect directly with customers in need of equipment.

“We are feeling the magic of the Internet, and its power,” Fu said of Toolots, a company he launched to provide industrial machinery from A to Z all around the world, similar to Amazon’s online marketplace where consumers are directly connected with manufacturers. Toolots is headquartered in Cerritos, California, and has locations in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Houston, Texas.

The Toolots Inaugural Manufacturing Exchange Summit will continue through Aug. 31, 2016.