Irish China expert takes the 'hard' out of hardware

Creating a drone or Internet-connected kitchen scale is hard, particularly when it involves manufacturing in China. Things get easier when you meet Liam Casey.

The hardest part may be finding him. His company, PCH International Ltd, is based in Cork, Ireland, but Casey spends most of his time in the air - flying between China, San Francisco and the international conference circuit. Once you find him, Casey and PCH can help convert a doodle into a consumer product in less than a year.

For almost two decades, the Irish CEO has built a network of around 100 trusted factories in Shenzhen, China's manufacturing heartland, to supply technology companies including Apple Inc, Beats Electronics and Xiaomi Corp.