Outpac Designs, the Hong Kong-based marketer of the Pacsafe brand of travel and safety equipment, has decided to take over its distribution in mainland China, to be handled by its own subsidiary. Magnus McGlashan, managing partner, said that it is essential for successful selling to get to know the customer, which is easier to achieve through own operations than through a distributor. The retail customers of Pacsafe in China – currently numbering about 200 – have been handled by Atuns, which also sells Bridgedale into the country. The new Chinese office in Shenzhen is another step of Pacsafe's to directly run operations in key markets after it has had a subsidiary in the U.S. for a while. The next step, according to McGlashan, is Europe, where a regional headquarters will be set up soon. As reported, Pacsafe has recently appointed Thomas Ryll as chief of business development in Europe. Ryll was longtime head of Eagle Creek's international sales.