Chapter 11 Succeeding in the Chinese Market: The Case of the French Company Mixel Agitators

This chapter focuses on the international development of Mixel Agitators, an independent SME which develops, produces and markets industrial mixers. Founded in the late 1960s near Lyon, in France, the company has more than 70 employees worldwide. Initially focused on its domestic market, the SME changed strategy and opened to foreign markets after the arrival of a new CEO. Since then, Mixel Agitators has been highly active abroad, notably is China where it holds a production and sales subsidiary. The authors of this chapter chart the international expansion of the company in order to highlight key success factors of industrial SMEs in such a challenging market.