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Take a look at the strategic vision of world-class companies~~ Linde has undertaken a strategic transformation by focusing on the field of air separation gases. At present, the industry of air separation gases in our country holds great potential for development. According to relevant data, it is expected that over the next five years, as China’s economy continues to grow and economic restructuring serta industrial upgrading lead to an expansion in both the breadth and depth of applications for air separation gases, China’s air separation gases market will maintain an average annual growth rate of over 9%. The market size is projected to reach around 69.4 billion yuan by 2018, accounting for 10% of the global market share. Linde Group, an international gas company that entered China in the 1980s, has seen steady growth in its business there. Recently, Linde Group unveiled its welding mobile exhibition vehicle in Tianjin. This welding mobile exhibition vehicle made its debut in Ningbo in March this year, and will go to Chongqing in the days to come. Previously, like other foreign gas companies, Linde Group focused on providing on-site gas generation services to industry leaders. Now, with welding mobile display units used to establish direct connections with local customers appearing so frequently and in such a hurry, it seems to signal that Linde Group is beginning to target the regional air separation gas retail market in China. Theo Martin, General Manager of Sales and Marketing for Linde’s East Asia region, said, “The purpose of the welding mobile exhibition vehicle is to provide customers with a completely new experience, enabling them to realize that our technology can bring distinct advantages to their manufacturing processes. Through hands-on operation and direct experience, it helps to raise their awareness of Linde’s welding technologies, thereby building trust in Linde among small and medium-sized customers.” ” “At present, Linde is working on developing a new partnership model aimed at supporting some promising small gas companies in the region. This model could provide us with a platform for collaborating with local gas companies; we will offer excellent technical support and provide guidance on safety measures and quality control, thereby helping them meet the needs of their customers. “said Theo Martin. In the retail market for air separation gases, previously foreign companies focused their development strategies in China on the on-site gas production market; moreover, the retail market requires suppliers to have strong supply assurance capabilities and local service capabilities. As a result, domestic gas suppliers, especially those with regional advantages, possess natural competitive advantages. In recent years, Linde Group has made strategic adjustments, focusing on globalization while also emphasizing localization. It develops different solutions for industries with strengths in various regions based on those areas’ industrial foundations, and improves customer satisfaction through e-commerce. From a long-term perspective, the company plans to provide guidance on security technologies and quality monitoring for promising small and medium-sized enterprises. These series of actions have made the advantages of foreign-funded enterprises entering the region increasingly evident, intensifying competition in the air separation market. Another reason for making a strategic transformation is that industrial transformation has become an inevitable trend, and industrial gas companies with high costs and low efficiency are unable to avoid the trend of integration. In response, Theo Martin said, “Linde entered the East China region 30 years ago, while the North China region began to develop truly in the past two or three years; currently, the business volume in North China is half that of East China.” The investment threshold for industrial gases is relatively high, requiring significant resources. We have noticed that during the previous period of rapid growth in China’s industrial market, there was no need to worry about finding buyers as long as there were products available. And now, with growth slowing down, gas companies simply cannot survive in the market if they rely solely on selling products. This means that in addition to excelling in their own business, industrial gas companies also need to establish strategic partnerships with their customers and stay informed about the development trends in the industries in which those customers operate. ”Theo Martin said again, \"Many gas-related products, as well as those in other industries, are seeing a trend toward consolidation. Many of the smaller companies around now are likely to be integrated by more efficient and advanced enterprises.\" Under these circumstances, we hope not to engage in a price war with everyone else and thus make the market even worse. Rather, we hope to meet the market’s demands regarding products, quality, and stability, thereby demonstrating our value in the market. ”