--- ---  # Ball bearings plant where cultures roll in unison  _Christian Baez, an advanced quality technician at CW Bearing USA, works with his Chinese colleague at the factory in Northville, Michigan, in April. DONG HAO / CHINA DAILY_ By MINGMEI LI Standing face-to-face on a factory floor in Michigan, Christian Baez and his Chinese workmates once relied on a smartphone translation app to communicate. Words moved back and forth across the screen in English and Chinese as they paused, pointed to machines and used gestures to make themselves understood. That was how Baez first navigated daily work after joining CW Bearing five years ago. “The biggest challenge was the language barrier, but once we got on the same page, we knew what to do and … then we were good.” Baez, 29, a product quality technician, still spends his days moving between production lines, inspecting product quality, collecting data and troubleshooting equipment issues in the company’s manufacturing plant in Northville Township, Michigan. Language differences still surface from time to time, but they are no longer a major obstacle for those working in this multinational and multicultural company. “Once I got to know them, it was very welcoming, very easy to understand,” Baez says. “We all have the same motive, and we want to get the work done in a strategic way, so that was very easy to follow. We are very much alike in a lot of those ways.” CW Bearing USA, a subsidiary of Cixing Group of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, where it was founded in 1985, established its first U.S. operation in Southern California in 1993 and later expanded its manufacturing plant to Michigan, where its North American headquarters is located. CW Bearing has invested about $30 million locally, creating several dozen jobs, with about 90% of its workforce made up of local hires. Michigan has long been associated with the auto industry and the broader manufacturing region. While the area’s industrial landscape has shifted over recent decades, factories such as CW Bearing remain part of its evolving manufacturing base. In the factory, Chinese and American technicians work alongside one another on production, quality control and equipment maintenance. Technical discussions often involve a mix of English, translated terminology and shared manufacturing knowledge. Many of the employees, like Baez, are early in their careers. As they work together to solve production challenges, they are also learning how workmates from different countries approach communication, problem-solving and daily life. “It’s different,” says Nequita Jackson, an engineering technician with CW Bearing, who has worked there for 10 years. “We do things a little differently than they do. It has helped us actually thrive and learn more with motivation.” Jackson was one of the earliest employees at the plant. From a technician to becoming a trainer she has witnessed the company’s development from its early setup phase to its current operations. For her, being different does not mean being separate. Working alongside Chinese workmates and building day-to-day relationships has made the workplace feel more like a family where different cultures come together. “Our Chinese colleagues invite us to their homes. We spend time at each other’s houses, so nobody feels left out.” While employees experience cultural exchange on a personal level, plant leaders also emphasize the importance of bridging different workplace approaches. “The American teams seem to communicate and escalate right away, where the Chinese team is very disciplined and technical,” said Gary Moss, general manager of the plant. “Before they escalate issues they like to make sure they root cause it, see if behind the scenes they can fix it, and if they can’t, then they’ll have a very good strategic plan of what they need to fix the issue. “I don’t like it to be like a China team versus a U.S. team. I love being just one team, and we really enjoy each other.” Attributing the company’s stability in the U.S. to its workforce, many employees have spent decades with the company, says Hu Lirong, president and chief executive of CW Bearing. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have employees who have stayed with us for decades. It’s because of their hard work and shared commitment that we’ve been able to put down strong roots in Michigan and become part of the local community.” That long-term presence, he says, has shaped how the company defines itself not simply as a company operating in the U.S. but as a business that combines its Chinese background with deep local integration. The company’s experience reflects a broader reality of global business: long-term cooperation depends on trust built through people-to-people relationships, Hu says. “Economic and trade cooperation is ultimately about relationships — between people, businesses and communities. Those exchanges build understanding and trust, which are essential for long-term partnerships.” [](https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/) ## China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World Since its launch in 1981, China Daily has grown to become the nation’s leading English-language newspaper. With a combined print, online and mobile readership of more than 470 million, it serves a vital role in telling the world about China, providing valuable insight into the world’s second-largest economy. 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