http://www.engagingchina.com/blog Understanding China's new economy and its impact on western businesses en-us Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:00:52 +0200 manufacturing Blogware Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/10/4/3269968.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/10/4/3269968.html Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:59:00 +0200 Cookson, the UK-based ceramics manufacturer, sees big opportunities in China's solar cell manufacturing industry and plans to build a second crucible manufacturing facility in China to copy with strong demand. All production from this facility will be supplied to Glory Silicon Energy... energy manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/10/4/3269924.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/10/4/3269924.html Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:13:00 +0200 DSM, the Dutch nutritional products firm, plans to restructure its Chinese manufacturing sites. The announcement is interesting on two counts. First, it shows that restructurings are not confined to manufacturers' "legacy" installations in the west. Second, its interesting to see DSM stressing how it is working to reduce the inevitable social impact of the factory closure.... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/9/28/3257720.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/9/28/3257720.html Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:44:00 +0200 Could Stork, the Dutch industrial group, be the next western firm to succumb to Chinese money? Avic-1, China's fast-growing state-owned aerospace company, is rumoured to be interested in buying Stork's aerospace division, better known by its historic name of Fokker... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/23/3156572.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/23/3156572.html Thu, 23 Aug 2007 03:00:00 +0200 China Automotive Systems, which specialises in power steering parts and systems, has reported a tripling of its Q2 profits on sales up nearly 50% to %$36m. As well as serving China's domestic carmakers, CAS recently entered into Volkswagen's global sourcing system, enabling it to take the coveted Tier One title... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/22/3150547.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/22/3150547.html Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:00:00 +0200 Many people in the west would be hard-pressed to name a successful Chinese exporter, as few Chinese companies have invested in building a brand. Now they are being urged to move away from the "pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap" image and instead focus on making their own branded products... manufacturing strategy Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/15/3155750.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/15/3155750.html Wed, 15 Aug 2007 05:00:00 +0200 Chinese carmakers are making their first tentative moves into the developed car markets of the west. But in the short-term, their biggest impact is likely to be felt in smaller developing markets like Iran, where Chery has just signed a deal to set up an assembly join venture... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/14/3148475.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/14/3148475.html Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:00:00 +0200 FAW VW was the top carmaker in July and VW's Jetta was also the best-selling model. Volkswagen has been very successful in China but it faces new challenges, such as the competiton that has recently broken out between its two Chinese joint ventures for the hotly-contested mid-range segment... manufacturing strategy Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/13/3148354.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/13/3148354.html Mon, 13 Aug 2007 03:00:00 +0200 Good news for long-suffering Alfisti exiled in China. Italy's Fiat plans to introduce the iconic Alfa Romeo marque to China as part of a new accord with China's Chery Automobile. The two carmakers will will form a 50:50 joint venture to produce Alfa Romeo and Fiat cars for the Chinese market. Production will start in 2009 and the target is for 175,000 vehicles a year... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/9/3148352.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/9/3148352.html Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:46:00 +0200 US car giant General Motors expects to sell more than 1m vehicles in China for the first time this year, making China the second most important market after the US. As well as fast-growing its also a profitable market for GM. Separately, Korean carmaker Kia plans to triple production of its China JV... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/2/3134794.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/2/3134794.html Thu, 02 Aug 2007 09:11:00 +0200 US medical devices firm Micrus Endovascular has signed a five-year, exclusive distribution agreement with Beijing-based Tian Xin Fu Medical Appliances. The US firm says that China is the world's fastest-growing market for its devices, which are used in the treatment of cerebral vascular diseases... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/16/3096120.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/16/3096120.html Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:59:00 +0200 If you can't beat them, joint them. Endicott Interconnect Technologies, a mid-sized US manufacturer of printed circuit boards, has struck a deal with Taiwan's Lorom Industrial Co. to jointly run a facility in Shenzhen. EI wants to win more high-volume commercial PCB manufacturing, much of which has migrated from the west to low-cost Asian suppliers in recent years... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/12/3087099.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/12/3087099.html Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:20:00 +0200 DaimlerChrysler plans to start making Vito and Viano vans in Fujian in mid-2009. That has caused considerable concern among workers at DaimlerChrysler's plan in Spain, which until now was the only facility making these models... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/11/3085553.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/11/3085553.html Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:03:00 +0200 Chinese logistics firm Indserve already has an impressive roster of western clients and wants a lot more. To keep up with growing demand for its hi-tech logistics services, Indserve has just completed a new 2,000 sq metre logistics centre in Shanghai, bringing total warehouse capacity to 13,000 sq metres. That's not bad for a company that started business in 2000 with just 3,000 sq metres... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/5/3072149.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/5/3072149.html Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:13:00 +0200 Chrysler has duly signed a deal with China's biggest carmaker, Chery, to produce small cars for export to the US and elsewhere. It was only a matter of time of course, but the news that the US population could soon be driving Made in China cars has served a wake up call to the western car industry... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/2/3065324.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/2/3065324.html Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:20:00 +0200 Metaldyne, a US automotive supplier, has officially opened its first factory in China. Its the latest is growing list of western automotive suppliers that are increasing their focus on China and other fast-growing Asian markets in a bid to reduce their dependence on slow-growing western markets... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/6/19/3030480.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/6/19/3030480.html Tue, 19 Jun 2007 03:00:00 +0200 Bombardier Aerospace and China Aviation Industry Corporation are teaming up to develop regional aircraft, a market that is not sewn up by Airbus and Boeing, which is presumably why China finds it interesting. The state-owned AVIC said it plans to invest $400m in Bombardier's proposed C Series aircraft programme. The Canadian company will invest $100m in the Chinese ARJ21-900 regional jet... manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/5/31/2987155.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/5/31/2987155.html Thu, 31 May 2007 10:20:00 +0200 Another strange-looking car that you will only see on the roads of China. Actually, the Great Wall Coolbear bears more than a passing resemblance to the equally strange-looking Scion xB, which you will only see on the roads of the US. Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery... legal manufacturing Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/5/17/2956455.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/5/17/2956455.html Thu, 17 May 2007 19:00:00 +0200 Could China's supremacy in mobile phone manufacturing be challenged? Not any time soon, you may think. That's why we were intrigued to read that Korean phone giant Samsung may be planning to move its key production line for mobile handsets to Vietnam to reduce production costs as global competition intensifies... Main Page hi-tech manufacturing strategy Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/5/15/2950908.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/5/15/2950908.html Tue, 15 May 2007 15:20:00 +0200 Data from iSuppli figures show that Chinese electronics manufacturers continue to strengthen their in-house design capabilities in order to decrease the risk of over-reliance on external design houses. Nevertheless, I suspect it will be many years before Chinese OEMs achieve the sort of reputation for innovative design that major foreign brands like Nokia, Motorola and Samsung enjoy today in handsets... hi-tech manufacturing strategy Geoff Nairn http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/4/23/2899993.html http://www.engagingchina.com/blog/_archives/2007/4/23/2899993.html Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:58:00 +0200 Li & Fung, the HK-based trading firm, has been dropped from Wired magazine's Wired 40 hip list of companies because its business -- distributing T-shirts and toys -- is "unimpressive" when compared to China's computer and car industries. EngagingChina begs to differ... manufacturing strategy