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all members. The association tackled the lack ofcodes and standards, making recommendationson matters like the loads that floors can safelycarry and conducting research on seismic andfire-safety issues. Ultimately, the company, withthe association, achieved the registration ofSpancrete-China products in the national buildingand design code.Business processes are changing rapidly in China,and competitors are getting more aggressive. Also,the economic boom has moved south and westof where it started, creating more opportunitiesand challenges. Said Deitrich: “Today, China isdoing okay businesswise. The long-awaited andsweeping new building code has taken ages toapprove. The codes should be released soon, atwhich time another boom is possible, and we’reready for it. It’s not how they operated. Now theycan see the value and continue to expand theassociation’s efforts.”Lessons LearnedThe big lesson is the importance of thinkingglobally. Deitrich said there are too few companiesthat do.“The mentality of Americans is to be satisfiedwith the North American market. It’s just planshortsighted. Their competitors in the othermarkets are making money, and sooner or laterthey’ll be here, more competitive because of theirexperience in some of these developing markets.Even in a downturn in the domestic economy,getting U.S. companies to go overseas is likepulling teeth. Saudi Arabia has billions of dollarsto spend on construction projects. We’re notthere. The Chinese are there. We’re sitting in NorthAmerica wondering, ‘Is it safe over there?’”To illustrate, he said he brings his suppliers toconstruction trade shows in the Middle East,and all of them made sales. Dietrich contactedover 100 companies, but only eight committedto coming, and they all made sales. In contrast,he said: “The Germans will bring 300 of theircompanies to a trade show—lawyers, financeguys. The German prime minister will fly in to cutthe ribbon to open the show. We don’t have thatkind of horsepower going for us.”Despite shortcomings, another lesson forSpancrete is that the world is hungry for U.S.products, technology, and know-how. “Aroundthe world, we see construction design andstandards improving. The engineering is becomingmore skilled. The public is demanding saferconstruction. Many developing countries areemulating western and U.S. standards, which arebest implemented using U.S. equipment. Marketsare demanding faster, cheaper, sustainable. All arestrong suits of U.S. suppliers.”Another lesson is the value of working with U.S.and state government export assistance programs.“Recently, I used the Commercial Service’sbusiness matchmaking and Single CompanyPromotion program in seven Chinese cities. TheCommercial Service identified local companiesinterested in purchasing our equipment systemsand coordinated meetings with key governmentofficials. They’ve been helpful in India, Russia, andKazakhstan. The Service is amazing.”Lastly, Deitrich believes that exporting hasmade Spancrete a better company. He said: “Theexperience in international markets has made mea more effective professional and the companymore competitive. There’s just no doubt thatselling overseas has made us a more effectiveexporter and our products more competitivein all the markets we are in and will be in. Wesimplified our product right down to our softwareso everything is easier to operate, no matterthe conditions or the language spoken. Our keypersonnel have grown from the internationalexperience, and we continuously bring ideas backhome and apply them throughout the company.Competition is tough in these markets, but that’swhere the opportunities are. Exporting is nolonger an option, and America’s export future liesin these markets.”Success Story: Spancrete Machinery Corporation89