Also opening at AsiaWorld-Expo today are two other China Sourcing Fairs: Fashion Accessories and Underwear & Swimwear.

One of the fastest-growing features in the Electronics & Components fair is the security products pavilion.

It was a new category last year, but has since grown to become a pavilion with more than 90 exhibitors.

One of these is SecuRex Solution. Company director Alex Kwan Chi-hung said that after 9/11, the worldwide demand for security electronics had tripled, and even quadrupled.

'There are now more manufacturers making closed-circuit television systems and prices are dropping. Competition has really grown over the past four to five years,' Mr Kwan said.

'For an ordinary Chinese restaurant, they might have used four video cameras in the past. Now they use 16. And for a mall such as APM, they are using more than 100 video cameras.

'But increases in product volume do not necessarily lead to more profit. To keep the profit we are making, we have to produce many more cameras, which forced us to expand our production hardware.'

Although many of his company's overseas clients sourced from the Shenzhen office these days, Mr Kwan said that Hong Kong was still more convenient to some traders, and exhibiting at China Sourcing Fair would help expand business.

'We have always known about Global Sources and have been advertising with them for four years. We know the base of traders attending its fairs is good. We hope to meet overseas manufacturers who are sourcing parts such as camera boards, which we sell,' he said.

'There are many clients from Eastern Europe who look for camera parts but do the assembling in their own countries because of import regulations or for other reasons. Over the past half year we have also expanded lens production.'

SecuRex Solution has a 40 to 50-strong factory for electronics products in Xili, Shenzhen and another of 50 to 60 workers in Fuzhou. Both are strategically located for the talent pools offered in those districts. Annual turnover of the company is around HK$50 million according to Mr Kwan.

Home Care, a company that sells wireless digital home automation systems called Tell Me Wi, is also exhibiting in the security products hall.

The system can be connected through the internet, telephone lines or mobile phones, and sends the user information and receives instructions, no matter where the user is.

Marketing manager Eddie Trinh said the system included power bars for electrical appliances, and the user could turn them off and on from the outside.

The system can also control alarms, lighting, motors for gates, doors, shutters, garden watering systems, telephones, heating and cooling controls and many others.

'Each of the remote controls is code-protected, so there is no risk of having frequency disruption or clash,' he said.

Mr Trinh added that the home automation system market had potential for growth as the cost had become more affordable. Using a wireless system also helped save homeowners the hassle and cost of breaking down walls and reinstalling the home's wiring when putting the system in place.

'Our clients are mainly from Europe and Australia, where the DIY culture is more developed. People there are familiar with the home automation concept,' he said.

But the company was interested in developing the Asian and mainland China markets for places such as apartments, condos and factories, he said.

Home Care is a relatively young company, formally established only earlier this year. But the development of Tell Me Wi began in June last year.

The company was hoping to find distributors for various markets at the upcoming fair. 'The exhibition ground of the [China Sourcing Fair] is easy to navigate. The customers are also specialised,' Mr Trinh said.

Home Care's exhibition space is made up of four booths, with two sides being open. There will be two display cases, as well as demonstrations on how the system can work on awnings, window blinds and sprinklers.

Outside of the security product pavilion, more whimsical products can be found. Connectland Technology is a brand for USB plug and play products and computer accessories. It hopes to find more quality mainland suppliers through the fair. Sales and marketing manager Annie Au Lai-ming said in past fairs, the company had found suppliers with very creative product ideas.

'We always want to have a greater range of products and with new product ideas that can catch the consumer's attention,' she said.

This year, the company will promote a USB Christmas tree, which is like a normal Christmas tree but draws its electricity from the computer instead.

There is also the innovative USB thumb-sized fragrance oil burner. You plug the burner into your computer, drop some fragrance oil on it and it will heat the oil and serve the function of a normal fragrance oil burner, without the danger of it catching fire.

Connectland Technology has another version of USB fragrance oil burner which is full sized and has LED lights installed.

The company also covers basic computer accessories such as mouses, speakers and card readers. Ms Au said the company offered a wide range of products so that it could provide one-stop shopping for retailers, who could then buy small amounts of different products.

'We encourage our clients to place small orders,' said Ms Au. 'Our clients shop with us like they are shopping in a supermarket. They may originally come to buy just 100 card readers, but then they might see our promotion for speakers and new products such as USB fragrance oil burners and end up buying more than they expected.'

Home Care's wireless digital home automation Tell Me Wi system.The USB thumb-sized fragrance oil burner by Connectland Technology.