I can remember Bex - r- better saying much the same thing in his frustration with us, and it’s interesting that two giant Chinese retailers already have warehouses and retail outlets in most States of Australia, delivering our internet orders sometimes same day.
I have two memories of their abilities.
In one case a former boss of mine went to China and set up a plant to make panels which resulted in a very successful business. A Chinese official came to his factory a couple of years later and said “We’re building a free way through here, we’re going to move you there (about 20 km away), what design do you want for your new factory. In Australia this would lead to a digging in 5-year process, trifling compensation etc. They said they were paying for the new factory and all transfer costs, so he accepted the deal, got a newer, bigger, more productive factory and today is worth upwards of $20 million.
The other case was when the South Korean cars started chewing into General Motors’ Holden sales in Australia. The Button plan ensured that local manufacturing couldn’t compete, so around 2004 the Director of Finance at Holden was sent to China to set up and build a Carline for Holdens to beat the South Koreans. By the time he had it part built, GM realised the new middle classes of Chinese business owners had started building McMansions to live in and China had become a Car country as against people in blue overalls and riding bikes, and took over the line to build Cadillacs in much bigger volumes than Australia could sell Holdens.
This is one of the early promotional activities in Shanghai in 2011
Cadillac Stunt Drivers Shanghai - link
GM went into a joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC)
They build a factory with 160,000 capacity per year. Cost was $122 billion.
It’s the only plant in China to achieve 100% automated welding.
It has one line for steel bodies and another line for all-aluminium bodies (with laser brazing).
SAIC – GM produced 673,007 Chevrolet/Buick/Cadillac in China in 2024.
Since 2017 China has been Cadillac’s biggest market