Could this be a trend? US construction equipment giant Caterpillar became the latest western manufacturer to report disappointment in China as demand for capital equipment slows.
United Technologies recently posted a drop in Chinese orders while 3M forecast below-trend growth. (continue reading…)
Burson-Marsteller, the US PR giant, has won a one-year contract from white goods manufacturer Haier to support a brand communications program for its upscale Casarte brand in China. (continue reading…)
ICBC, the world’s largest bank by market value, is out to win the hearts — and pocketbooks — of Spanish investors.
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For once, a Chinese company plans a US IPO with an old-fashioned business model that any investor can understand – auto rentals. (continue reading…)
It had to happen sooner or later, of course. Nevertheless, news that China has overtaken the US as the world’s largest grocery market has profound implications for both food producers and retailers in the west. (continue reading…)
Remember when the Japanese dominated the TV industry?Japan’s once unbeatable consumer electronics industry is going through tough times and South Korea’s Samsung has now built an indominable lead over its Nippon rivals in the TV market.
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China has overtaken the US as the largest luxury watch market, according to the WorldWatchReport, a leading market research report for the watch industry that tracks watch-related internet search terms.
For the first time since the study launched in 2004, China surpassed the USA as the country exhibiting the highest demand for luxury watches, representing 23% of all watch-related searches. (continue reading…)
Could electric vehicles help recharge China’s sluggish car market? BYD hopes so as it announces Denza, the new marque for electric vehicles produced by its 50:50 JV with Germany’s Mercedes-Benz.
BYD is making a lot of noise about its electric vehicles and clearly hopes a prestigious western partner will win Chinese buyers over to EVs. (continue reading…)
It’s not just Apple that has a lot to thank for China’s abundant supply of low-cost and pliant labor (for more on Apple read yesterday’s story).
Virtually every western manufacturer that has facilities or suppliers in China has been drawn there by one overriding goal– to make things cheaper.
But how much longer can Low Cost China continue to gain height as a business model?
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Business is booming for Foxconn, the controversial hi-tech contract manufacturer that supplies Apple.
It plans to expand its facilities in China by opening a high-tech manufacturing facility in south China’s island province of Hainan. The Taiwanese firm’s existing facilities in China are all on the mainland in cities such as Shenzhen and Chengdu.
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By GEOFF NAIRN
China is a land of opportunity for business, but it is also a land of counterfeiting and intellectual property theft
Few consumers get fooled by street markets selling luxury handbags at knock-down prices. But there are many cases where it is difficult for buyers to distinguish counterfeit goods from the real thing. As more manufacturing shifts to China, businesses in the west need to learn how to value their intellectual property and protect it [...]