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You probably have already read the press release: we acquired "Barcode World", an AIDC distributor in China, who is present in ten locations, employs 42 people and concentrates on Honeywell and TSC.

I assure you, this was not an easy decision; and it was no easy negotiation either. Barcode World is a great company, but as always in China, they were no pure distributor. The same company also produces scanner itself, under its own brand. For a company, such as Honeywell, for example, it is not easy to support a competing vendor as a distributor. This involves working together on projects. This was the only choice: the former owners concentrate on their product manufacturing, the vendors get a pure distributor to sell to and Jarltech is represented across China at one stroke.

The full story spans several years. I have known this company for ages, and we talked about a take-over many times. Only four weeks ago, talks entered the critical phase and since then, the issue was discussed around the clock, via e-mail and during countless meetings. Chinese people are great businessmen. In over 20 years of experience with China and far more than 200 trips there, I can tell. It is easiest to work without contracts, as a handshake is meaningful. Banks, commercial courts and vendors, however, want written proof; so we did this too. And there is quite a struggle over every cent, every interest rate, every line. Not because the Chinese want it, rather they believe that the German are pedantic and want to define everything down to the last detail. This goes on around the clock. Be it four in the morning, in China or Germany, no matter, everyone worked day and night, including lawyers on either side.

The good thing is: we were in agreement from the start. The mountain of paper with its over 200 signatures is put away in the drawer and the handshake from the first day takes over again. It never happened to me that in China, someone would dig out a contract after two years and insist on a specific clause, that would be more like the American style. There is no way of making it work without both sides having benefits.

I firmly believe that the Chinese mindset will carry them a long way. And I believe that Jarltech will go far in China. Mutual respect is the foundation of any business.