Calling China

摘要

When liftomatic material handling inc. was contemplating entering the Chinese market in the 1980s, Todd Berg, the company's VP-sales, heard a prediction: By 2010, the People's Republic of China will have 200 cities with populations of 2 million or more people. The forecast will likely fall short, but it correctly anticipated China's populous agrarian society flocking to its industrial cities. For Liftomatic, a small company that makes equipment to handle barrels on factory floors, China seemed an ideal place to secure a foothold. In 1988, Buffalo Grove, Ill.-based Liftomatic began selling its products in China. "We were profitable the first year," Berg said.