Securing turbo growth

Lächelnder hinesischer Geschäftsmann steht mit verschränkten Armen vor dem Besprechungstisch, wo das Team in die Arbeit vertieft ist

How a leading innovator in the energy sector laid the foundation for its purchasing team in China with our support

When exponential growth meets global supply chain bottlenecks, quick and strategic solutions are needed. For us at Steinkellner China Search, collaborating with a leading innovator in the field of power storage systems was exactly such a dynamic challenge. Learn how we supported this company in finding the first key person to build a strategic purchasing team in China in record time. Despite initially lacking a local presence, we thus set the course for a stable supply chain and enabled further growth.

A pioneer of the energy transition based in Germany recorded impressive annual growth of nearly 100%. However, this positive development also means enormous pressure on production and particularly on the supply chain. This situation was exacerbated by the global impact of the Corona pandemic, which put extreme strain on the supply chains for business-critical components. To address this bottleneck and secure a significant sourcing volume, the company made the strategic decision to build its own purchasing team directly in China.

The particular challenge: At this time, the company had neither a subsidiary nor existing personnel in China. The assignment for us as Steinkellner China Search was therefore doubly demanding: It was not only necessary to find the right leadership personality – the “first key person” – for this task, but also to develop viable ways for their employment without a local company structure.

To optimally support the “hyper-growth” scenario at our client, our team in Shanghai acted with the highest speed and precision from the start. Our deep understanding of the client’s requirements enabled us to quickly identify the right profiles. Crucial for agility and cultural fit was our proven 2-stage model: A team of at least one Western and at least one Chinese senior recruiter ensured that both the philosophy of the German headquarters and the Chinese market conditions and individual candidate profiles were optimally matched. We were able to support our client not only in talent search but also in conveying essential knowledge about cultural and business peculiarities in China. This was particularly important to jointly define the requirements for the “first key person on site” and create the framework conditions for their activity.

As this was the first person for the company in China, we provided comprehensive assistance, including clarifying employment modalities without a local entity. As an additional tool, we established a monthly conversation format with our client, the “OnBoarding Talk”. This served as an early warning system for the executive and the company in the important getting-to-know phase and also provided the necessary security for both sides after the position was filled.

The efficiency of our approach was impressively demonstrated: Among the first three proposals we presented to our client was the person who was ultimately hired. Remarkably, we were able to introduce this desired candidate within just one week after the formal contract conclusion with our client. After a total duration of only six weeks from the start of the assignment to the hiring, the new purchasing manager was able to start work. This quick success was of great importance to our client. The new head of the China purchasing team immediately began sourcing growth-critical components locally to optimize supply chains and continue to enable the company’s ambitious growth. By filling this crucial position, we were able to make a direct contribution to securing our client’s revenue growth. The positive feedback from our client’s CTO, who was very pleased with the quick and successful completion of the mandate, confirmed our success.

“The intensive consultation from start to finish was very important to me. Not everyone can do that. I was also surprised by the speed with which we found the right candidate.”
Hans-Joachim H., CFO

  • Our ability to quickly interpret our client’s requirements and promptly present hand-picked and perfectly matching talents.
  • Conveying the cultural and business peculiarities of China as well as providing strategic advice on defining the role and employment modalities, especially when building an initial team on-site.
  • The use of mixed recruiting teams (Western/Chinese) through our proven 2-stage model to ensure optimal matching between the client’s corporate culture and local conditions.
  • The implementation of instruments such as the “OnBoarding-Talk” to support successful integration and long-term collaboration, which underlines our sustainable partnership.

Your success story could be the next

Is your company facing the challenge of quickly and effectively gaining a foothold in China or optimizing existing structures – perhaps even without your own local branch? Let’s discuss how we can forge a tailored success alliance with your company using our expertise and dedicated team.