Clockmaker Smith of Derby has created the world’s largest mechanical clock in the city of Ganzhou, South East China. Managing director Bob Betts has told Insider that the clock, which is set to start ticking tomorrow, has paved the way for further international trade.
The Harmony Tower Clock, which is twice the size of Big Ben, features a 12.8 metre diameter dial on each of its four faces. Betts says it has taken the firm “about a year to complete”.
He adds: “There’s been a team of six or seven engineers working on the face and I’ve been going over to China every month to check on the progress. It was a dream opportunity for the company.”
Having completed the monumental structure, the firm has also been commissioned to create a "time gallery" to feature inside the tower.
Betts, who has been managing director of the company for three years, says: “The gallery will be a celebration of the history and measurement of time. It’s an exciting project for our creative team, and is due to open in 2011.”
Although the company has spent the last few years focusing on international expansion, it has retained a key presence in the British market and is in the process of completing a clock face for Arsenal’s football ground, the Emirates Stadium.
However, the company did take the decision to concentrate on international trade a few years ago, and Betts says: “We’re glad we did.”
He adds: “The UK market is very quiet at the moment – it has been for a couple of years. Around that time, we decided to start to focus on international business, and it has worked out well for us.”
Betts only recently made the transition into the world of clockmaking – previously, he was the UK sales director for IBM.
“I wanted the opportunity to drive a business," he says of his career move. “And I wanted to spend more time with my family at home. I think that my 20 years’ experience in sales has definitely been a benefit for this role – I use my sales skills every day.”
The firm has created several key international pieces, from churches to theme parks. It has also created all of the Disney Corporation’s clocks in Paris and Hong Kong, and currently cares for more than 5,000 timepieces in 50 countries.
However, Betts says that the firm is fully equipped to do business both domestically and abroad. “I think we’ll be pretty fit for purpose for any kind of trade,” he says. “We’re looking forward to whatever comes along.”
Accounts for the Smith of Derby Group show that it employs 68 people and had a turnover of £4.37m for 2009.