A Regular Customer Brought Two New Friends

On March 26, a familiar face came to the SEIMEDA factory – Mr. Peter, a customer from South Africa.

Peter had been working with SEIMEDA for more than two years, placing regular quarterly orders for structural adhesive. The volume was not huge, but it was steady. He had come to Shandong this time to look at some building materials in Linyi, and decided to swing by the SEIMEDA factory on the way.

What surprised Mr. Meng was that Peter was not alone. There were two other South Africans in the car. Peter introduced them as his friends who ran a building materials wholesale business in Johannesburg – Mark and David.

“They heard I was coming to SEIMEDA and wanted to tag along,” Peter said with a smile.

Meng did not prepare anything special – he simply took them through the usual reception routine. First the raw material warehouse, then the production line, and finally the finished product retention room. Peter walked ahead, occasionally translating Meng’s words to his two friends.

In the retention room, David showed particular interest in the structural adhesive. He took a sample, squeezed a bead onto a test board, waited ten minutes, and tried to peel it off. “Good initial tack,” he said.

After the tour, the three men went back to the meeting room. Peter said, “This place is much cleaner and more organised than when I came two years ago. And there are more production lines.”

Mark and David did not place orders on the spot, but they asked for prices on foam sealant and no‑nail adhesive. Each took five boxes as samples to bring back to Johannesburg and distribute to their own customers. “If the feedback is good, we will come back with a formal order in June,” Mark said.

Peter added, “This is exactly how I started two years ago – take samples first, test them, and then grow slowly. Your products have a market in South Africa, but you need someone willing to push them.”

Before leaving, the three men exchanged business cards and took a group photo. As Meng walked them to the gate, Mark said, “Peter has always told us that you guys are reliable. After seeing the factory today, I think he’s right.”

Back inside, Meng said to his colleagues, “This kind of customer‑introducing‑customer is better than spending money on ads. One word from Peter is worth ten cold emails from us.”