1. Friday May 25, 2018
      Home > News > Economy
      Text:| Print|

      Switzerland's ABB to boost China presence

      2012-10-23 10:20 China Daily     Web Editor: qindexing comment
      Robots made by ABB Ltd are shown at an exhibition in Shanghai in 2009. The Swiss engineering group said it will set up more than 20 service hubs and centers across China, as part of its $500 million investment plans over the next five years in the country, despite rising costs and cooling economic growth. [Photo/China Daily]

      Robots made by ABB Ltd are shown at an exhibition in Shanghai in 2009. The Swiss engineering group said it will set up more than 20 service hubs and centers across China, as part of its $500 million investment plans over the next five years in the country, despite rising costs and cooling economic growth. [Photo/China Daily]

      Swiss group attracted to nation's human resources potential

      The cooling economic expansion and rising labor costs in China have driven a number of foreign manufacturers out of the country, but Swiss engineering group ABB Ltd said it will stay and plans to attract more Chinese talent.

      "We did not come to China to make use of its low labor costs 20 years ago," Claudio Facchin, president of ABB North Asia and China, said in a recent interview. "And despite the economic slowdown in the country in the short term, there is a consolidated view for a strong market in the long run," he said.

      But not everyone is as optimistic.

      According to a survey recently conducted by the Boston Consulting Group, of 106 senior managers at American manufacturing companies with annual sales revenues exceeding $100 million, more than one-third said they are considering or planning to move their production facilities in China back to the United States.

      And 48 percent of companies with annual sales revenues over $1 billion plan to return to the US.

      One of the main reasons for the companies' withdrawal is that the manufacturing-cost gap between the US and a dozen low-cost countries, such as China, has narrowed since last year, according to a report by global consulting firm Alix Partners.

      It's the first time that the gap has decreased since 2007, the firm said, adding that a number of countries, including Vietnam, Russia and India, now have lower outsourcing costs than China.

      A series of other factors, including the appreciation of the Chinese currency and rising raw material costs, are also driving foreign manufacturers away, the firm said.

      According to the Boston Consulting Group, Chinese workers' wages have increased 15 to 20 percent on an annual basis in recent years, and this has considerably narrowed the labor-cost gap between China and certain states in the US.

      This suggests that China "may have lost some of its competitiveness in some areas of the manufacturing sector", Soren Skou, CEO of Maersk Line - the world's largest container operator in terms of volume - said in a recent interview.

      He said he also noticed a clear trend indicating that "Chinese companies are trying to move up the value chain to produce more expensive goods" in sectors including solar energy, automobiles and aviation.

      ABB is a good example. The company currently has a full range of business activities in China, including research and development, manufacturing, sales and services, and an extensive sales and service network covering 80 cities, with a total of 18,300 employees in 36 local companies across the country.

      "ABB China is now at the fourth stage of its development, which means that it does not only serve the local market, but that its products can also be sold in our other markets across the world," said Facchin.

      Apart from China's huge market, the country's human resources are also appealing for the multinational company. One of ABB's most popular products was designed by a research team in China, he said.

      While the country may have lost some of its advantages when it comes to low-cost labor, it has "definitely" achieved progress in its R&D capabilities, Facchin added.

      In September, ABB said that it plans to set up more than 20 service hubs and centers across China, as part of its $500 million investment plans over the next five years in the country, in order to further boost its competitiveness in the Chinese market.

      "We will invest more on people's development, mobility and local leadership development, and hope to attract more talent, adding 25 percent more employees in the next three to five years," Facchin said.

      "We look forward to continuing our successful track record in China," he added.

      Comments (0)

      Copyright ©1999-2011 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
      Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

      主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产精品成人四虎免费视频| 99热精品在线免费观看| 成人毛片免费观看视频| 91亚洲性爱在线视频| 麻豆高清免费国产一区| 亚洲视频国产精品| 国产精彩免费视频| 亚洲一区电影在线观看| 久久综合AV免费观看| 亚洲精品无码久久久久牙蜜区| 日本黄色免费观看| 直接进入免费看黄的网站| 亚洲综合精品网站在线观看| 国产精品综合专区中文字幕免费播放| 亚洲精品99久久久久中文字幕 | 亚洲AV无码专区亚洲AV桃| 国产精品成人免费视频网站京东 | 成全高清视频免费观看| 亚洲欧美日韩自偷自拍| 亚洲av午夜成人片精品电影| 午夜不卡AV免费| 久久久久久a亚洲欧洲AV| 国内精自视频品线六区免费 | 国产亚洲精品自在线观看| a毛看片免费观看视频| 久久久久亚洲av无码专区导航 | 日本高清免费aaaaa大片视频| 久久亚洲欧美国产精品| 中文字幕亚洲无线码| 99久久99久久精品免费观看| 亚洲五月综合网色九月色| 四虎影视永久免费观看网址| aa级女人大片喷水视频免费| 亚洲美女色在线欧洲美女| 波多野结衣久久高清免费| 国产真人无码作爱免费视频| 亚洲另类图片另类电影| 亚洲精品成人区在线观看| 最近最好最新2019中文字幕免费| 亚洲乱色熟女一区二区三区蜜臀| 永久亚洲成a人片777777|