Case Studies Collection - IMD business school for management and leadership courses

Case Study

How Fuchs built a future ready China strategy

The case describes the strategic evolution of FUCHS China under the leadership of Zhu Qingping as the company transformed into a vital contributor to the global FUCHS2025 strategy. With 30 years’ experience in the automotive industry, Zhu leveraged his expertise to navigate FUCHS China through the complexities of a rapidly evolving market, amids…

Global Business China Business to Business

By Mark J. Greeven and Wei Wei

How Fuchs built a future ready China strategy

By Mark J. Greeven and Wei Wei
Case reference: IMD-7-2543 ©2024

Summary

The case describes the strategic evolution of FUCHS China under the leadership of Zhu Qingping as the company transformed into a vital contributor to the global FUCHS2025 strategy. With 30 years’ experience in the automotive industry, Zhu leveraged his expertise to navigate FUCHS China through the complexities of a rapidly evolving market, amidst geopolitical fragmentation and the challenges posed by Covid-19. FUCHS China, representing a significant portion of the FUCHS Group’s revenue and profits, was at the forefront of adopting innovative product strategies. The case focuses on the development and implementation of the “5S” and “360-degree” solutions. These strategic initiatives enabled FUCHS China to offer specialized, high-tech products (5S) while comprehensively meeting customer needs (360). The case further highlights the company’s market approach, emphasizing the importance of segmentation and the “3L” Localization strategy. This approach not only tailored FUCHS China’s offerings to specific market segments but also enhanced its operational efficiency and responsiveness to local market dynamics. A key element of FUCHS China’s strategy was the development of its team, particularly through the innovative “Huangpu Class” initiative, which focused on nurturing segment leaders and building a robust leadership pipeline. Finally, the case also features FUCHS China’s unique culture, a blend of proactive, performance-driven ethos balanced with German precision and Chinese flexibility. This cultural synthesis was instrumental in fostering a self-driven and adaptable workforce, capable of navigating the challenges and opportunities in China’s lubricant market. Concluding with a forward-looking perspective, the case provides insights into how FUCHS China, under Zhu’s visionary leadership, positioned itself as a future-ready player, ready to tackle the upcoming challenges and seize new opportunities in the global lubricant industry.

Reference IMD-7-2543

Copyright owner IMD Copyright

Organization Fuchs Group

Industry Manufacturing, Chemicals

Available Languages English

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Global Business

China

Business to Business

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Case Study

How Fuchs drives autonomy at scale to win in a fragmented world

In a world where agility and global foresight are crucial for business survival and growth, the FUCHS case presents a compelling narrative of transformation. This case study follows FUCHS, a leading global lubricant company, on its journey to navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing business environment while staying true to its decentral…

China Business to Business Global Business Strategy

By Mark J. Greeven and Wei Wei

How Fuchs drives autonomy at scale to win in a fragmented world

By Mark J. Greeven and Wei Wei
Case reference: IMD-7-2539 ©2024

Summary

In a world where agility and global foresight are crucial for business survival and growth, the FUCHS case presents a compelling narrative of transformation. This case study follows FUCHS, a leading global lubricant company, on its journey to navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing business environment while staying true to its decentralized roots. The story unfolds from the company’s humble beginnings, detailing how FUCHS has grown into a global player under the stewardship of CEO Stefan Fuchs. It emphasizes the challenges of operating in a fragmented market and the need to embrace new global forces, such as digitalization, sustainability and evolving customer expectations. The case highlights the strategic pivot FUCHS makes when it created its first ever corporate strategy, “FUCHS2025,” marking a significant shift in the company’s approach to global market dynamics. A central theme of the case is how FUCHS rethinks its matrix organization and implements agile networks. This strategic move illustrates how FUCHS balances its traditionally decentralized structure with a growing need for global integration and efficiency. The case details the intricacies of these networks, particularly focusing on HR, to show how FUCHS harnesses the power of cross-functional collaboration and shared leadership. Readers of the case will gain a comprehensive understanding of how a traditional, family-led business can successfully adapt to global trends and internal challenges. It’s a tale of strategic evolution, highlighting the delicate balance between maintaining core values and innovating to stay competitive in a fragmented world. The FUCHS case is not just a story of a company, but a blueprint for businesses facing similar global challenges, demonstrating how to win in a decentralized yet interconnected market landscape.

Reference IMD-7-2539

Copyright owner IMD Copyright

Organization Fuchs Group

Industry Manufacturing, Chemicals

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

China

Business to Business

Global Business

Strategy

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Case Study

The rise and fall of Byton

Byton was a Chinese electric vehicle company founded in 2016 with the goal of developing affordable, connected EVs. Daniel Kirchert, a seasoned automotive industry executive with extensive experience in luxury cars in China, was invited to join the start-up. With Daniel’s leadership and vision, Byton quickly became one of the most talked-about s…

Entrepreneurship China Leadership

By Mark J. Greeven and Yunfei Feng

The rise and fall of Byton

By Mark J. Greeven and Yunfei Feng
Case reference: IMD-7-2473 ©2023

Summary

Byton was a Chinese electric vehicle company founded in 2016 with the goal of developing affordable, connected EVs. Daniel Kirchert, a seasoned automotive industry executive with extensive experience in luxury cars in China, was invited to join the start-up. With Daniel’s leadership and vision, Byton quickly became one of the most talked-about start-ups in the EV industry. The company raised around $700 million in funding from prominent investors such as FAW Group, Qidian Holdings and CATL, and secured partnerships with suppliers and strategic partners to support its innovative designs and technology. Byton’s first car model, the M-Byte, was unveiled at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). However, despite the initial success and buzz, Byton faced financial difficulties and began experiencing delays in bringing the M-Byte to market. In early 2020, Byton entered bankruptcy proceedings due to a lack of cash flow and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global economy. Daniel left Byton for another career.

Reference IMD-7-2473

Copyright owner IMD Copyright

Organization Byton

Industry Automotive, Automobiles

Available Languages English

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Entrepreneurship

China

Leadership

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Case Study

Chips and change: Navigating geopolitics at TSMC

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, better known as TSMC, was the leading contract manufacturer of semiconductors, controlling 90% of the production of the most advanced chips. Almost all of its manufacturing capacity was in Taiwan, a self-governing island off the coast of China that the government in Beijing was determined to unify with…

Global Business Business to Business China General Management

By David Bach

Chips and change: Navigating geopolitics at TSMC

By David Bach
Case reference: IMD-7-2485 ©2023

Summary

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, better known as TSMC, was the leading contract manufacturer of semiconductors, controlling 90% of the production of the most advanced chips. Almost all of its manufacturing capacity was in Taiwan, a self-governing island off the coast of China that the government in Beijing was determined to unify with the mainland. This placed TSMC at the heart of the 21st Century’s most consequential geopolitical fault line and in the middle of Great Power rivalry over a key industry with pivotal civilian and military applications. The case provides key facts and figures on the industry and its development to frame at a high level the key corporate strategy decisions facing TSMC’s leadership – (i) where to locate major production sites and (ii) how to balance the myriad political stakeholders that are seeking to shape the industry’s evolution in line with their national security- and economic interests.

Reference IMD-7-2485

Copyright owner IMD Copyright

Organization Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited

Industry Materials, Semiconductors

Available Languages English

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Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

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Global Business

Business to Business

China

General Management

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Case Study

Midea: The digital transformation of a home appliances giant

Over the past decade, Asian companies have been launching accelerated and wide-ranging digital transformation initiatives. This has enabled some of them to become leading national and even international players, as well as digital pioneers in their respective industries. This case examines the successful digital transformation undertaken by the…

Business to Business China Digital Disruption General Management Strategy

By Mark J. Greeven, Yunfei Feng and Wei Wei

Case Study

Transforming Geely: From fridges to motorcycles to EVs … to?

The case is about the continuous entrepreneurial transformation, over two decades, of a company in terms of increasingly advanced technologies and international product markets. It describes how Geely, a leading player in the global automotive industry, started in the 1980s with its founder capitalizing on a series of opportunities during the ti…

Entrepreneurship Strategy China Sustainability

Best-selling Case Study

By Mark J. Greeven, Patrick Reinmoeller, Lisa Simone Duke and Wei Wei

Case Study

CATL: Global battery supremacy

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) was founded in 1999 under the name ATL. Initially, it had no technology of its own, and the founder, Zeng Yuqun, traveled to the US and acquired a patent for a lithium-ion polymer (LiPo) battery from Bell Laboratories. Then, through a series of technological breakthroughs that came one after the othe…

Strategy Technology Management China

By Mark J. Greeven, Yunfei Feng and Patrick Reinmoeller

Case Study

Youhualin: Digitizing the supply chain in China

Youhualin, a Chinese technology company driven by operations research, artificial intelligence and big data technology, provides intelligent decision-making solutions to help companies optimize operational issues that have been persistent pain points. In 2013, China Eastern Airlines was looking for a solution to one of the industry’s toughest pr…

China Digital Strategy Artificial Intelligence

By Mark J. Greeven, Patrick Reinmoeller, Yunfei Feng and Erik Walenza-Slabe

Case Study

SEA: A $140 billion hidden Alibaba?

Sea Limited, founded in Singapore in 2009, is a consumer internet company. It started out as Garena, a digital entertainment company (like Tencent), then expanded to e-commerce (like Alibaba), and then digital payments and financial services (like Ant Financial). The company, with its roots in China, was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs who buil…

Strategy Digital Technology Management China

By Mark J. Greeven, Patrick Reinmoeller and Yunfei Feng

Case Study

Pop Mart: LEGO or Disney?

In June 2020, Pop Mart, a 10-year history Chinese trendy toy company achieved market value of US$15 billion, higher than LEGO or Hasbro. Pop Mart toys are not traditional; they are not for kids but for Generation Z. It’s business model uses innovative ways to sell trendy toys. It combines designer toys and blind boxes to provide the feeling of e…

Strategy China

By Mark J. Greeven, Patrick Reinmoeller and Yunfei Feng

Case Study

Shein: Another Amazon or terminator of Zara?

As an international B2C fast fashion e-commerce platform established in Nanjing, SheIn’s business model seems to be more superior than Zara. It is faster, it has more products, the price is lower. SHEIN uses a revolutionary supply chain management system to support its super-fast fashion, and it deployed a comprehensive social media marketing st…

Strategy China

By Mark J. Greeven, Patrick Reinmoeller and Yunfei Feng

Case Study

Ping An: How a Chinese insurance firm became a tech giant (B)

While Ping An is so successful to transform and reinvent itself to a tech giant, it discovered the demand of small and medium sized financial institutions to deploy technology. In December 2015, Ping An set up OneConnect, a fintech spinoff, to export its internal technology and repackage them as services to other banks and insurance companies in…

Finance Digital China Future Readiness

By Howard H. Yu, Yunfei Feng and Anouk Lavoie Orlick

Case Study

Ping An: How a Chinese insurance firm became a tech giant (A)

The case illustrates how Ping An can anticipate digital trends such as cloud computing and evolve from its core business to expand to new areas. Ping An began by selling property and casualty insurance but soon expanded to banking and financial services. The firm then invested heavily in I.T. development in order to take part in the Internet eco…

Finance Digital China Future Readiness

Best-selling Case Study

By Howard H. Yu, Yunfei Feng and Anouk Lavoie Orlick

Case Study

XCMG: Digital business transformation of a manufacturing giant

This case was written in 2019, 10 years after Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co. Ltd. (XCMG) initiated its SAP ERP project in 2009. The digital transformation of XCMG has been so fast, that within less than 10 years, it developed from this internal IT project to a digital platform that provides services to many external enterprises. This ca…

China Strategy

By Mark J. Greeven and Yunfei Feng

Case Study

The role of Ping An technology in enabling Ping An group’s digital ecosystem

The case traces the development of Ping An Company of China Ltd from its launch in 1988 to 2018. The company, founded by Ma Mingzhe in Schenzhen, started in insurance and became the first Chinese insurer to adopt a shareholding structure. By 2018 it was the largest insurance company in China. The case charts the development of the company and ho…

Strategy Diversity and Equity and Inclusion China Artificial Intelligence

By Mark J. Greeven, Lisa Simone Duke, Jui An Yang and Wei Wei