Since 2020 when he took on the position of Managing Director of Aritex office in China, Leon Dib has determinedly led the company’s expansion in the Asian market, facing a business environment characterized by immediacy, growing local competition and constant development of new cutting-edge technologies.
In this interview, Dib reflects on his journey over the past four years as he continues to guide Aritex in China towards innovation and growth, with the goal always in mind of driving leadership within the country’s automation market.
Since when have you been General Director of the Aritex office in China? What motivated you to join Aritex China and what are your main duties and responsibilities as China Managing Director?
I took on the position of Managing Director of the China office in 2020 with the motivation and challenge of managing a subsidiary with huge growth potential in a complex technological environment. Since my very first days in the office, I have been fully aware of the characteristics of the local market and the nature of Asian business culture. In this sense, my mission is to transform challenges into opportunities and guarantee that Aritex China grows solidly and safely in a key region with strategic weight for the company.
As Managing Director, my main duties are setting up the strategy and vision of the subsidiary, align & engage our staff to our main objectives from HQs and shareholder in the mid – long term, explore and expand the huge possibilities our partners and customers are offering in China.
In 2016, Aritex was integrated into the AVIC Group. What was the process of acquiring Aritex by the aviation giant and what benefits has it brought to both parties?
In our industry, Merge & Acquisitions are long and tough processes. For the Aritex management team, convincing a giant like AVIC to integrate an automation expert in the aviation industry inspired and encouraged us to explore new possibilities.
From the beginning, we discussed common objectives and points of interest, which led to an imminent win-win agreement, signed in April 2016. This significantly strengthened our relationship with our main customers globally. The trust that AVIC placed in the Aritex Group motivated our main customers to increase their activity with us and brought us new business opportunities and an even more diversified portfolio.
What technological projects and solutions does Aritex offer in the Chinese market and how do they adapt to the needs and demands of local customers? What are the specific challenges when working with clients and partners in this market?
Aritex specializes in creating customized automated solutions for each client. In the aviation sector in China, it is essential to provide flexibility in our designs and agility in implementation to satisfy customer request.
We work closely with international OEMs that have local operations, as well as with Chinese clients that follow local standards and seek profitability and technologically demanding solutions for their assembly lines.
In addition, we face other challenges such as the Chinese speed on the decision making & implementation combined with strong local compliance rules, high-tech state of the art made in China as per EU standards demanding local cost models at the same time. makes the industrial environment a complex and challenging business model. Without a doubt, it makes the industrial environment a complex and challenging business model.
Aritex office in Shanghai
How does the sales cycle differ in the Chinese market compared to other markets where Aritex operates? Are there specific aspects of decision-making that differentiate customers in this market from customers in Europe or elsewhere?
In China, the government implements clear policies to develop highly specialized and automated solutions in the manufacturing industry, something that contributes to making it the largest automation market in the world.
Local governments support investments in various regions, thus generating greater activity. Therefore, to better assess and grasp the best opportunities, we need a very clear strategy and vision from headquarters and shareholders.
During the pandemic, in China, the speed of decision-making and the interrelation between politics and business became even more evident. Furthermore, demand for foreign technology increased, with strong constrains in cost. In this environment, local competitors are growing faster than in Europe due to greater government support.
What was the project that stood out above the others? And what is the project that the team is most proud of?
From the technical and scope point of view, the C919 VTP assembly line project in Shenyang stands out for having all the components that characterize Aritex’s core: a complex local client and advanced assembly solutions.
Furthermore, we are glad to have had the opportunity to explore a new project category with our main customer in the aviation industry and to support the deployment of Aritex’s local operations in Shanghai.
Within the team we are also very satisfied with the Airbus A330 Completion & Delivery Center in Tianjin. This project represented a crucial milestone in our partnership with Airbus and in our commitment to strengthen and consolidate our team in China.
We are very satisfied with the Airbus A330 project in Tianjin, a milestone in our commitment to strengthen and consolidate our team in China
Leon Dib
Managing Director of Aritex office in China
What competitive advantages does Aritex have over other companies in the aeronautical sector in China and how does it differentiate itself from the competition?
Aritex’ competitive advantage is based on two key points. On one hand, we have the ability to implement European standards in our manufacturing in China. On the other hand, our team has the necessary flexibility to adapt to both international and local mindset in each project, thus responding to the specific needs of each client. These two approaches allow us to differentiate ourselves from most of our competitors and attract the interest of our customers, covering a wide range of sectors and business mindsets in the Chinese aviation industry.
What growth and development plans does Aritex have in China and what objectives has it established for the coming years?
China must be the biggest market contributor outside Europe for Aritex Group. Our strategic plan involves covering the entire business in southern (Shanghai) and northern China (Tianjin) with our two subsidiaries. As we have recently opened a new subsidiary in Tianjin in order to be closer to our customers. In this case, Airbus has awarded Aritex the first Final Assembly Line project.
What challenges and opportunities arise for Aritex in industry 4.0 and digital transformation?
The Chinese government has clearly set digitalization and Industry 4.0 as priority goals, creating more investment opportunities than elsewhere. We are receiving more and more demands related to new technologies deployment in our projects from local customers. Many programs are getting consolidated, and China seeks to become the main driver of R&D investments, both locally and abroad.
As a high-tech company, we are dedicated to providing and developing solutions in 4.0 maintenance, digital twins, software development, among others, to contribute to this technological advance.
How does Aritex’ business culture align with business expectations and values in China?
With more than 60 years of history, Aritex has been present in China for more than a decade. As a company with a long history of serving customers around the world, our values must be both universal and adaptable to local cultures. Revenue growth in the Chinese region confirms that our businesses and values are aligned. Innovation, commitment, teamwork and passion continue to be the fundamental values in all our subsidiaries.
How do you foster collaboration and innovation between local work teams and between company headquarters?
Our business model demands highly trained and talented personnel to lead projects. Teams must align with this premise and, therefore, the only solution is teamwork. This means creating cross-functional teams, whether Chinese or European, where each key member offers the best in his area. This essential collaboration allows us to successfully meet the challenges raised by our customers on a daily basis.
