«Unisono - China calling
WHAT'S NewS Issue 8 August 1996
working relations
3
Knowledge driven and cliënt oriented - the dynamic Dutch trading company
working Chinese markets on behalf of a broad range of top European F&A
capital goods manufacturers knows all about the value of building
relationships. Over the past 11 years, Unisono has grown its name and
reputation in the PRC, not least through its constant commitment to both the
principals and the customers it serves throughout China.
The story of Unisono bears more than a
passing resemblance to the ups and downs
in the recent history of the People's
Republic of China. Maarten Buitelaar and
Olaf Litjens worked day and night to
establish Unisono as a credible and
reliable counterparty. 'After three years,'
^^Litjens recalls, 'we were really making
progress. Then came Tianenmen Square
and the ensuing trade embargoes and
restrictions. 'I don't think we ever
considered puiling out, we were definitely
there to stay. But this new situation meant
we had to rethink our strategy.'
REAL KNOW HOW
The Unisono response was to spread
risk. 'We had focused on acting as
agents for capital goods into China;
now we set up an export company to
bring Chinese goods to Europe. Our
thinking was that every threat is also an
opportunity.' Turning this setback into
an opportunity has paid off for the
growing company. 'The early years were
certainly tough,' says Litjens frankly. 'If
you want to sell capital goods, you have
Bo work on long-term relationships.
People have to trust you. We began by
focusing exclusively on animal
husbandry - poultry, pigs, feeding
systems and so on. But we also realized
that there would be more added value in
food and beverage, vegetable processing,
and bakery and confectionary. So, over
time, we have gradually expanded our
activities to cover capital goods in those
sectors.'
MARKETING CHINA
Today, food and agri-processing remains a
cornerstone of Unisono's activities,
primarily because it represents a huge
growth area in an immense market.
'China has always had a tremendous
problem feeding its people,' Litjens says.
'This is why 60 percent of the population
are engaged in agriculture. To generate the
volume of foodstuffs needed, they require
foreign technology and know-how to
increase efficiency and enlarge output. So
the market is there. The question is: how
do you get into it. In Europe, your
strategy tends to be based on the concept
that a salesperson knows the whole
market. That's impossible in China and
that realization led to the organizational
structure we have developed.'
KNOWING THE MARKET
Unisono has based its organization on a
combination of thorough market research
and strong pre- and after-sales service.
'Everything we do,' Litjens confirms, 'is
based on ongoing market research. We
have a dedicated team of six people who
spend all of their time gathering
information. This information is combined
with the know-how brought in by the sales
people so that we are always working on
the basis of the real situation in the
marketplace. It also enable us to make
realistic forecasts on future development.'
PERMANENT PRESENCE
Like all the staff in both the current
Beijing and Guangzhou offices, the
research and sales teams are local hires.
'This brings me to permanent presence,'
Olaf Litjens
says Litjens. 'Your track record in China is
important. Few clients care whether
you're number one in Europe; they want
to know what you've done in China.
There are companies which have been
there for 20 years, but management has
changed every two years. If you run your
operation that way, you effectively start
from scratch every time you bring in a
new manager. Although 1 1 years doesn't
sound like a long time, Maarten has been
there for that whole period. We have
invested heavily in local hires; our whole
team, including management, is Chinese.
All relevant personnel spend around three
weeks a year in Europe for training by our
principals. As a result, we have a highly-
motivated, highly trained staff.'
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
According to Litjens, a team of this quality
is essential to provide both the levels of
service Unisono considers a prerequisite for
their clients. 'We like to think we offer
complete solutions to any problem a cliënt
may have. This is why we have built up a
data base of 8,000 food companies,
complete with data, such as type of
equipment, production output, kind of
product. When a cliënt comes to us and
explains what they want a plant to achieve,
we can go into the data base and come up
with the right answer for his problem.'
Continued on page 12
It was Jennifer Chen of Hong Kong's Dutch desk who first suggested Olaf Litjens, might be
willing to talk about the company, its market and its relationship with the bank. Unisono is
that rare animal - a Dutch company which now banks with a local member Rabobank
following an introduction from the international network.'lt is usually the other way around,'
Chen laughs.'They became a Honk-Kong cliënt even before we had a rep office in Shanghai.
Later, they opened an account with the Rabobank in
Eemnes, where their Dutch office is located.'
Jennifer is responsible for some 14 Dutch clients
involved in a variety of activities in the region.'But,'
she adds,'while these are what we call"borrowing"
clients, we also look after over 20 companies that are
prospects or potentials which fall within our target
group of Dutch or Dutch-related companies. That is
Hong Kong's Dutch Desk: the primary function of a Dutch desk and that's what
Amoi Lee (left) and Jennifer Chan we're all about here.'
Rabobank Nederland
Hong Kon&Lranch