Case_4._PerkinElmer_–_Developing_Products_in_China_for_China_-2011.pdf

9 -612 -032 R E V : D E C E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 V I C K I S A T O C H R I S T O P H J A E K E R K A R E E M R E D A PerkinElmer – Developing Products in China for China It was cold and grey as Johnson Zhang surveyed the construction site of a brand new 44,000 m2 facility that would house the future Chinese operations of Sym-Bio and PerkinElmer. The facility, an hour’s drive outside of Shanghai, had been part of Zhang’s grand vision to rapidly expand Sym-Bio, his diagnostic instrumentation company. Before the construction was completed Zhang had sold Sym-Bio to PerkinElmer, a global leader in screenings, treatments, and advanced life science tools that support human health. Zhang was no longer the CEO of a small nimble Chinese focused company, he was now the vice president and general manager for “Emerging Territories” in a multibillion dollar global organization. PerkinElmer hoped Sym-Bio would be a key to rapid growth in China and perhaps serve as a platform for its business in other emerging markets, and Zhang was eager to prove his new company right. The facility was about 20 times larger than Sym-Bio’s current building, and was more space than needed at the moment. But as Zhang looked out at the building he could envision helping PerkinElmer grow to occupy the entirety of the new site. Zhang’s only question was how exactly should they get there? A brief history of PerkinElmer Richard Perkin, a banker, and Charles Elmer, a court clerk, commuted to New York City every day for work, taking