Popularizing tech the Chinese way

Lenovo's worldwide expansion brings the brand's top-quality products to consumers

When you ask a Danish cabby how to reach the Denmark headquarters of Chinese tech heavyweight Lenovo Group Ltd, it's likely he or she will proactively find the quickest route to the building in Soborg, about 10 km northwest of capital Copenhagen. The taxi driver may even attest to the good quality of the brand's products.

That is because the local unit of the company has been championing a mission called Taxi Driver, which is helping make Lenovo a household name in Denmark.

Currently, Lenovo accounts for more than 50 percent of the PC market in Denmark, according to data from market research company International Data Corp.

It is part of the Beijing-based company's broader efforts to earn the trust of consumers and enterprise customers on the global stage. Currently, the Chinese company operates in more than 180 countries and regions, and has 15 research and development bases around the world. Five Lenovo devices are sold every second.

"We are a global company, with Chinese heritage, founded in China, and we believe globalization is good for both consumers and businesses," said Gianfranco Lanci, president of Lenovo.

He said Lenovo is a strong believer in globalization and operates always with focus on local people, local management and compliance with the local law. The company has a very strong manufacturing base not only in China but elsewhere. It also boasts a deeply integrated global supply chain.

Asked how companies could win trust in sophisticated global environments, Lanci said: "The most important thing is to be as open as you can."

Lenovo started to build its international presence in 2004 after it acquired IBM's PC unit making the popular ThinkPads. "Lenovo PC acquired a business which was big but mainly limited to commercial business. We have been able to take this business, fix certain things and grow the business. We've been able to keep up in terms of innovation and product development with all the keys coming from IBM," Lanci said.

He recalled that when he joined Lenovo in 2012, he saw a lot of people who came from IBM. They are all still here, which attests to the buyer being a good employer post-acquisition. "Usually, when you acquire a company, you tend to think that you must be better than the other people because you are the buyer. But Lenovo did exactly the opposite, they said let's look what's good and what's not good and get rid of the things that are not good."