Moving heaven and earth

David Beatenbough, a mechanical engineer from the United States, says it took him a while to decide on whether he wanted to help a Chinese company go global.

He had been working for an international machinery company in Shanghai for two years when Zeng Guang'an, president of the state-owned LiuGong Machinery Corp, first approached him about a job in 2003.

Initially, the 58-year-old American, who studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology, was reluctant. But Zeng's persistence eventually won him over, and four years later he made the switch.

At the time, LiuGong, a construction equipment maker based in the southern city of Liuzhou, was looking to expand overseas. Beatenbough's mission was to make this happen - yet the challenge was greater than he had first expected.

"We needed to expand the product line to attract quality dealers in the international market," he says. So, he helped create the LiuGong Development Process, a system based on teamwork that shortened the launch time of new products. "It forces our engineers to look at what our customers really need and want."

The company's D series excavator, which was developed using the process, won immediate attention in the market after its launch in 2010.

LiuGong says the process has contributed to its growth in recent years, helping it enrich its product line and turn it into a full-scale manufacturer of construction equipment such as wheel loaders, skid steer loaders, motor graders and excavators.

However, Beatenbough wasn't satisfied with just developing new products, as he thought most wheel loaders made in China looked the same no matter where they came from. He started work on a brand using distinctive industrial design to make it easier for people to recognize LiuGong machines.

He also played a leading role in establishing its global research and development center, which opened last year. So far, it is the only unit of its kind for earthmovers in China.

"It's been my dream to build a world-class R&D center at LiuGong," says Beatenbough, who is now vice-president in charge of R&D.

A research unit should be a place where people sit down together regularly and brainstorm plans to get every detail right, he says.

Although the American cannot speak Chinese, he says the language barrier does not bother him.

"In term of engineering, the ideas are quite similar. It involves numbers and graphics a lot, that's why we have whiteboards everywhere."

He has paid great attention to the design of the R&D center, even buying books on office decor. He has also made a "wall of history" with photos of LiuGong products.

"Actually, it's a history of our industry rather than the company," he says. "If you don't know where you came from, you don't know where you're going."

In the past year, Beatenbough has devoted himself to developing a new generation of wheel loaders and has helped the company launch two core products that are globally competitive.

"We're on our way. That goal will definitely come true before my retirement," he says of the company's ambition to become a world leader.

The Chinese government has recognized his work in the sector, too. Last year, he received the Friendship Award, the top honor for foreigners who make significant contributions to China's development. "The award is a great honor. It was an important event in my life," he says.

For Beatenbough, the city of Liuzhou, small as it may be, is a nice place to live. He enjoys riding his bike to explore different aspects of life in the city.

Some famous local delicacies are hard for him to handle, though, as they are spicy. He prefers to buy raw ingredients from the local markets and cook Western food at home.

He jokes that many of his friends and colleagues describe him as the "best steak chef in Liuzhou".

Contact the writers through liuxiangrui@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 04/15/2016 page20)