At CW Bearing’s manufacturing plant in Northville Township, Michigan, Chinese and American employees collaborate closely, navigating cultural and language differences to produce precision ball bearings. The company, a subsidiary of the Ningbo-based Cixing Group, represents a microcosm of globalized manufacturing where cross-cultural teamwork has become essential to operations.

Christian Baez, a product quality technician at the plant, recalls initially relying on smartphone translation apps to communicate with his Chinese colleagues when he joined five years ago. Over time, language barriers have diminished as employees have built mutual understanding and shared work goals.

“The biggest challenge was the language barrier, but once we got on the same page, we knew what to do,” Baez said. Though language differences occasionally arise, he said the workforce now operates cohesively with a common focus on quality and efficiency.

CW Bearing USA established its first facility in Southern California in 1993 before expanding to Michigan, where its North American headquarters is located. The company has invested roughly $30 million in the state, employing several dozen local workers who now comprise about 90% of the plant’s staff. This reflects Michigan’s enduring role as a manufacturing hub, even as the region’s industrial landscape has evolved.

Within the plant, Chinese and American technicians work side by side on production, quality assurance, and equipment maintenance. Their technical conversations often blend English and Chinese terminology supported by shared manufacturing knowledge.

“For us, it’s about learning different ways to approach problems,” said Nequita Jackson, an engineering technician with CW Bearing for over a decade. Jackson noted that while American and Chinese work styles differ, the diversity has fostered greater understanding and motivation among employees. She described strong personal connections, including invitations exchanged between coworkers to visit homes, creating a workplace culture resembling a family.

Plant manager Gary Moss highlighted differences in communication styles, noting that American employees tend to escalate issues quickly, whereas Chinese colleagues prefer thorough root-cause analysis before seeking broader input. “I don’t like it to be like a China team versus a U.S. team. I love being just one team,” he said.

Hu Lirong, president and CEO of CW Bearing, credited the company’s long-term stability in Michigan to its dedicated workforce, many of whom have been with the firm for decades. He emphasized the importance of employee commitment in establishing deep ties to the local community.

Beyond economic factors, Hu described the company’s experience as evidence that successful international partnerships rely heavily on personal relationships built through daily interaction and trust. “Economic and trade cooperation is ultimately about relationships—between people, businesses and communities,” he said. “Those exchanges build understanding and trust, which are essential for long-term partnerships.”