Launch

Terex appoints Asia head

Terex Corporation announced that Hyeryun Lee Park has been appointed as president of Terex Asia. Ms Lee Park will work closely with the company's operating segments to accelerate its growth in Asia and report directly to the company's chairman and CEO, Ronald M DeFeo. Before joining Terex, Ms Lee Park was president and owner of Midas Alliance Group, a consulting company that advised western companies on Asian business development. Prior to that, she was publisher of Construction Equipment and Construction Equipment Latin America for Cahners Publishing. Ms Lee Park began her career with Samsung Construction Equipment America, responsible for overseeing Samsung's entry into the US market. Ms Lee Park is a graduate of Northwestern University, a native of Seoul, Korea and a US citizen.

SAS to launch Beijing-Stockholm flights

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) plans to launch non-stop flights from Stockholm to Beijing this September to meet the growing demand in the country. The northern European carrier will operate five weekly flights between the two cities with an Airbus 340 aircraft. SAS currently has flights from Copenhagen to Shanghai and Beijing. The carrier's next focus is to fly to southern China, and it will name one more destination in southern China within this year, according to Bjorn Ekegren, director and general manager of SAS China, DPRK, ROK and Mongolia.

SAP opens new R&D facility in Shanghai

SAP AG announced the opening of a new research and development facility in Shanghai to meet growing global development and support needs. The German business software solutions provider plans to further boost its investment and expansion for its subsidiary SAP Labs China, which focuses on software development for small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) across the globe. The Shanghai location will also serve as a regional technology and solution center supporting fast-growing markets across Asia, including Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and India.

BorgWarner opens new operation in Ningbo

BorgWarner announced the opening of its new operation for the assembly of turbochargers and transmission solenoids in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. The new manufacturing facility is the first of several operations planned for BorgWarner's campus in the Ningbo Yinzhou industrial zone, all of which will be part of BorgWarner Automotive Components (Ningbo) Co, Ltd, the company's wholly-owned subsidiary. A new office building there houses employees of BorgWarner Turbo & Emissions Systems, BorgWarner Morse TEC and BorgWarner Transmission Systems, as well as a shared services group of finance, information technology and human resources professionals who will support all of BorgWarner's business units in China. "We expect a five-fold increase in our sales in China alone over the next five years. We are taking steps to ensure that we are well positioned to take full advantage of this growth, "said Tim Manganello, BorgWarner Chairman and CEO. Customers who will be served by the new Ningbo operation include China National Heavy Duty Truck (Sino Truck), VW/Audi, FAW, and Yulin Diesel.

Nokia, Baidu in Chinese mobile search deal

Finnish mobile communications manufacturer Nokia announced that it reached an agreement with China's search engine provider Baidu to jointly provide mobile search services in Chinese-speaking markets, including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As a result of the collaboration, the Nokia Mobile Search application will be available on Nokia N70, Nokia N90 and other select S60 Nokia devices, providing four of Baidu's most popular services - Web Search, News Search, Image Search and Baidu Post Bar, an online community developed by Baidu. "Nokia Mobile Search is noted for its ease of use and combined with Baidu's search services, people will be able to extend their rich search experience to the mobile domain in Chinese," said Dan Wong, vice president of Multimedia Sales and Channels at Nokia, China.

Shell to buy Chinese bitumen producer

Shell is to buy Hong Kong-based bitumen producer Koch Materials China in a move that will make it one of the key suppliers in the country's rural road construction project, South China Morning Post reported. The acquisition of the company, for an undisclosed sum, will boost Shell's bitumen capacity in China by 175 percent as it assumes control of six plants producing 4,200 tonnes of the material a day. It already has five plants with a combined output of 2,400 tonnes a day. The road-building scheme is expected to support an annual growth in bitumen demand of at least 7 percent over the next few years. Shell has invested US$3.5 billion in China, US$500 million of that coming during 2005. Its largest operation is a US$4.3 billion petrochemical plant joint venture with China National Offshore Oil Corp in Daya Bay.

Suez to double investment in China

French utility group Suez plans to double its investment in China to more than US$1.24 billion over the next two years. The investment will go into wastewater treatment, residential drinking water and water for industrial usage. Suez currently has 19 joint ventures in China and is involved in the design and construction of more than 160 water plants.

ABN AMRO approved to establish Chongqing branch

Netherlands-based ABN AMRO Bank has received approval from the China Banking Regulatory Commission to establish a branch in Chongqing. The new branch, expected to start business within the year, will mainly provide individual and commercial investment management services, targeting high-income earners and high-quality small enterprises. ABN AMRO Bank currently operates three branches in three Chinese cities including Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, Guangdong province, with a Chengdu branch under preparation. It also has three representative offices in Tianjin, Guangzhou, Guangdong province and Wuhan, Hubei province.

Healthy helping hand

International SOS celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Since 1985, it has rapidly grown to become the leading worldwide medical assistance provider. John Williams, who recently spoke at the member presentation and networking event organised by the European Chamber Nanjing Chapter, is managing director of International SOS in Beijing.

Why was your company created and what motivated the founders of International SOS to establish a medical assistance company at that time?

The company was founded by a French pediatrician and a French banker. At the time, Dr Rey Herme was the French Embassy Doctor stationed in Jakarta and Mr Vaissie was working in the United States as an investment banker. The owners recognised the need for international standard health care and assistance services in Asia at a time when more and more business and leisure travellers were coming to Asia.

How did International SOS come to establish a relationship with the Red Cross in China?

The first clinic opened by International SOS in China was in cooperation with the Beijing Red Cross Society. The introduction to the Red Cross was made by the Beijing City Government and Ministry of Health. The relationship became a solid and friendly one, such that when International SOS decided to open a clinic in Nanjing, it was a natural choice for us to partner with the Nanjing Red Cross society.

How do you see the health care sector in China developing?

The health sector is developing rapidly and will continue to change under new government reforms that address cost issues and organisational issues surrounding the national hospital system. Many hospitals are currently undergoing major infrastructure changes to improve the overall "hospital experience" for patients, as well as improving service standards. The long-term changes in the medical services sector in China are largely dependent on how quickly the hospitals move towards the insurance system. With this in mind, the government recently approved the development of a new insurance sector to look after the health sector exclusively.

How does International SOS work together with the local Chinese hospitals?

We work with hospitals across China. Because our members travel all over China we have established relations with well over 300 hospitals here, which allows us to get our patients admitted to hospital quickly, to get medical reports to us and for our doctors to enter dialogue with the hospital treating doctors regarding the most appropriate treatment for our patients.

Why did International SOS choose to set up a clinic in Nanjing, and what services do you offer in Nanjing and the region?

In Nanjing, the medical needs of expatriates were being met by an in-house company, however, as the demands on the clinic began to increase in line with the growth of the expatriate population, they approached us to take over the ownership of the clinic. The vast majority of our clients use our clinic for general practice (family) care.