China's industrial champions are potential world-beaters

Sany Heavy Industry’s 500 million $660 million acquisition of Putzmeister, announced at the end of January, could be a sign of things to come.

It was unthinkable just a few years ago that one of Germany’s traditional industrial champions could end up in Chinese hands, but the crisis in the eurozone is hurting German exporters and creating buying opportunities for China’s manufacturers.

Putzmeister is a truly world-class company. Founded by Karl Schlect in 1958, it has spent the past five decades focusing on just one thing making the best concrete pumps in the world. And it has succeeded. When it comes to shifting concrete, Putzmeister which means...