Para muitos, China parece ser enormemente faraway. Com uma cultura totalmente diferente e muitos problemas práticos e desconhecido, às vezes impossível, regulamentos. Não para Marco de Bruin though. Long antes que todo o outro produtor do molde o considerou mesmo, sua companhia usava as oportunidades que China está oferecendo. Hoje, quando a competição experimentar uma estadia difícil, os sistemas do molde de Quodo estão tentando controlar seu crescimento notável.

A companhia ajustou primeiramente o pé em China em 2002. “Entusiástico por o que nós serra, nós requisitamos imediatamente os primeiros moldes. Isso girou para fora para não ser assim simples. Para ter uma atribuição executada corretamente, é essencial comunicar-se extensivamente. Não por meio de um laptop, operado convenientemente de um outro país, mas diretamente no trabalh-assoalho.”

Burocracia
Colocar uma ordem em China é uma coisa, para começar acima uma fábrica é uma outra história. “Faz exame muito tempo e esforço trabalhar com instituições governamentais. A burocracia é muito mais má do que em Europa. Mas se você tratar dos regulamentos interpretando governa melhor que fazendo exame d literalmente, você controlará a multa justa. Também, dependendo do oficial atendendo, na prática, há muito mais umas possibilidades. E sim, um presente do negócio é sempre agora e então parte do negócio. Pode ser uma maneira começar no contato com um oficial espesso mais elevado, com poders mais discretionary.”

Empregados chineses
“Uma vez que a fábrica foi ajustada acima, necessidade dos trabalhadores ser encontrado. It tends to be useful to hire English-speaking Chinese, for it is no option to hire an interpreter twenty-four hours a day. Therefore as we were hiring people, we often chose locals who were able to talk English at a reasonable level. Twenty-five percent of our employees speak English, that is to say… they understand. When you look at all the Chinese Quodo has hired, three-quarter literally has to be told what to do. Unfortunately most of them are strangers to initiative. As far as I can tell that’s a consequence of their past. They have always been told what to do, top down. To change that is very hard, it requires a lot of deliberation, many meetings as well as intensive coaching.”

Double standards
Leveled participation, in order to encourage initiative, is that still desirable when your IP is at stake? “Problems with copyright in China are exaggerated. We once made molds for a certain product and consequently the samples appeared at a trade show. Also they were given away as a present. Four months later we found that another company was marketing the same product. It had been reproduced in China, but through an American initiative. The Chinese only did what was asked. So the European and the American companies initiate to copy something and afterwards they blame the Chinese.”

One country, various cultures
China is gigantic, in dimension as well as population. This is why there isn’t such a thing as the ‘stereotype’ Chinese. Quodo Mould Systems, with two bases in the country, experienced this themselves. “The Chinese in South China have different traits than the people in North China. The working attitude for instance, is more reliable in the North. They are less undertaking, but work hard. In South China on the other hand, personnel changes jobs more easily. They aren’t easily satisfied, do not follow up orders very well and they need more social attention than the Northerners. So if you value loyal employees, go to the North.”

Golden combination
Quodo discovered that there were more differences between Chinese and European ethics. “In the West organizations appreciate presentation. Chinese predominantly consider functional aspects. China in that sense is excellent. Employees work hard, do not complain and listen in general. These characteristics, linked to the European product standards, make for a golden combination.”

Get help
“The bottom line is that there are opportunities for almost any company in China. But to conquer the market, takes time and patience. Quodo was disappointed in the enormous amount of energy it costs to achieve the goals that had been set. Physical attendance proved to be a necessity. But do not let that discourage you. By now there is enough help, information and knowledge to more easily shift between regulations and obstacles. On top of that we are willing to share our experiences. And, judging by the many trade missions, seminars, and web sites like this one, we are not the only ones. So go ahead; mould your business model according to our learning experiences anytime, I’m sure it will fit you like a glove.”

Printer friendly version of the interview “Molding your business for China.”

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