Hong Kong has long served as an unrivalled hub for the sourcing and development of consumer electronics products.
This holds true for South African firm SMD Enterprises (SMD), whose core business centres on delivering seamless factory-to-shelf sourcing solutions for retailers, e-commerce players and distributors.
The company has now become a major force in the consumer electronics outsourcing and distribution sector worldwide and boasts an extensive portfolio of brands, including Volkano, Amplify and Bounce.
Their story began far more modestly as a distributor supplying electronics products to retailers across the African continent. Company Founder Clive Sacks recalls selling calculators from university parking lots in Johannesburg some decades ago to continuously grow his business network.
With robust sales and a strong client base built over many years, in 2011, the electronics distributor pivoted to product development and positioned itself as a trusted bridge between manufacturers and retailers seeking high-quality electronics products.
In the following years, the company set up offices in Shenzhen and Hong Kong to facilitate direct access to its growing number of manufacturing partners. The business rapidly expanded, emerging as a credible developer of products, such as audio accessories and PC peripherals, for leading global retailers.
Mr Sacks credits Hong Kong as a vital commercial hub that naturally serves as the company’s global headquarters, citing its exceptional connectivity, ease of doing business and the free flow of capital, goods, talent and information.
With a keen interest to continue growing its international business via Hong Kong, the global developer sought out industry events to seize more sales opportunities, specifically eyeing the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC) trade exhibitions.
Among the city’s many business advantages are its dense calendar of world-class international trade fairs, such as the HKTDC’s Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) and Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition).
SMD Enterprises have regularly exhibited at these two fairs since 2023 to make valuable connections, network and secure orders from buyers around the globe, enabling them to continuously grow their business.
Such participation led to concrete results. These include contracts with major retailers in Latin America after meeting at the Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition) in 2024. Opening orders for several containers were sent to countries in the region, which helped build the relationship and stronger exposure of SMD’s products to a wider audience.
Furthermore, the South African electronics distributor reached a major deal with a European distributor at the Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) in 2025 to distribute SMD’s Volkano electronics range throughout the European Union.
“The HKTDC’s electronics shows deliver an excellent return on investment, generating serious, high-quality sales leads, while also enabling us to reconnect with existing customers seeking new and innovative products,” said Mr Sacks.
The two electronics fairs are among the innovation and technology focused fairs the HKTDC organises every year, enabling industry players from around the world to connect, share insights and make deals via the dynamic Hong Kong platform.
The fair’s spring edition is a flagship event of Business of Innovation & Technology Week, co-organised by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the HKTDC.
Looking ahead, the company is focused on expanding its overseas client base via Hong Kong, while accelerating product and brand innovation into more categories, including domestic appliances, health tech and hardware.
“With an expanding number of partnerships worldwide, we see strong growth ahead alongside continued momentum in developing innovative products that stay ahead of the curve and enable our customers to succeed in their respective markets,” Mr Sacks concluded.
And the South African company’s continued attendance at the HKTDC trade fairs ensures they will realise their strong growth.
The HKTDC’s Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) is held every April, alongside InnoEX, an exhibition, seminar and networking platform centred on cutting-edge technologies and disruptive innovations.
Our Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition) takes place in October each year, together with electronicAsia.