Earthmoving - After Motorola, perhaps no company has as big an investment in China as Caterpillar, and certainly none in the casting industry. Caterpillar has (at least) seven distinct joint venture manufacturing operations in China, a few of them focussed specifically on casting. Full details are available at the China section of Cat website.

Rail - China is a country committed to taking advantage of the efficiencies of rail transport. ABC-Naco, one of the major steel casters in the United States, and one that is heavily concentrated in the railroad segment, has made a major investment in China. The company has invested millions of dollars in a state-of-the-art railroad wheel manufacturing foundry in Datong, China. The company says the China operation will work cooperatively with its U.S. sites to penetrate the Asian market with wheels from both countries. (More information is available at www.abc-naco.com.)

Industrial Equipment -- Ingersoll-Rand has operations in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guilin, Nanjing, and Wuxi in products ranging from bearings to compressors (More information is available at www.irco.com.)

Oil - China is believed to have significant oil reserves, both onshore and in fields in the northern Bohai Gulf (near Beijing) and South China Sea (near Hong Kong). Over the past 20 years, China has been an on-again, off-again focus for multinational oil companies, and the oilfield equipment makers have not been far behind. Halliburton has seven offices in China and is involved in a joint venture to produce liquid and gas meter calibration systems. (More information is available at www.halliburton.com.)

In addition to the market segments discussed above, China's rapidly growing economy means increased casting business for firms focussing on machinery, power generation, aerospace, and many other segments. (View Diecasting in China to learn about the activities of automakers in China.)