“The demand for high-quality materials in China isrising.”
Breakdown of our activities is38%light equipment,42%compact equipmentand20%services. The latterinclude after-sales service,provided by some 30 subsidiaries, financingand rental. Turnover is likely to be €930 million (+23% compared with 2010, and +56% compared with 2009)for 2011, and to exceed €1 billion en 2012. Our activities are: 73% Europe, 23% the Americas, and 4% Asia (5% BRIC). But the Asian countries have the best growth outlook.
We already sell our range of light equipment in China where we have a large market share becausewe offer better quality equipment than our competitors. However, sales in China represent only a small share of our turnover.
We would like to enter this market on a long-termbasis. But the question is when? When will our sales be sufficient to require a maintenance andrepair network, technical documentation and training?
There is demand in China for increasingly better quality products,to the extent that certain Chinese constructors apparently aim to develop in Europe. We have no intention of producing substandard equipment, that iscompared with our present quality. In fact, theproducts in question are sold at a lower price.
That could be a policy, the alternative being to manufacture on the spot. We are only in the very early stages of our Asian strategy, both for the compact range of machinery and for light equipment.
Yes, of course. Intermat is an extremely important exhibition where we must be present. One of the reasons is that this show will enable us to reach out to the French market. A market whose potential we yet have yet to understand.