Team finds their bearings thanks to Rust Belt factory

Standing face-to-face on the factory floor, Christian Baez and his Chinese colleagues once relied on a translation app to communicate, pausing to point at machines and gesturing to bridge the language gap.

That was how Baez first navigated daily work after joining bearing supplier CW Bearing five years ago.

"The biggest challenge was the language barrier," Baez recalled. "But once we got on the same page, we know what to do and how to operate, then we are good."

The 29-year-old product quality technician spends his days inspecting parts, collecting data and troubleshooting equipment at the company's manufacturing facility in Northville Township, Michigan.

While language differences still surface from time to time, they are no longer a major obstacle in the multinational workplace.

When Baez walks through the plant inspecting parts, some of his Chinese colleagues would jokingly call out, "The police are here."

"Once I got to know them, it was very welcoming and easy to understand," Baez said. "We all have the same motive, and we want to get the work done in a strategic way, so that was very easy to follow."

CW Bearing USA, a subsidiary of China's Cixing Group, traces its roots to Zhejiang province, where the company was founded in 1985. It established its first US operation in Southern California in 1993 and later expanded to Michigan, where it operates its North American headquarters and production facility.

The company has invested about $30 million locally and created several dozen jobs, with roughly 90 percent of its workforce made up of local hires.

Long synonymous with the auto industry and the Rust Belt, Michigan's manufacturing landscape has changed over the decades. Companies such as CW Bearing remain part of the state's evolving industrial base.

Inside the plant, Chinese and United States technicians work side-by-side on production, quality control and equipment maintenance. Technical discussions often blend English, translated terms and shared expertise.

Broader understanding

Many employees, like Baez, are early in their careers. Working together to solve production challenges, they are also learning how colleagues from different countries approach communication, problem-solving and daily life. Technical collaboration has developed into friendships and a broader understanding of one another's cultures.

"It's different," said Nequita Jackson, an engineering technician who has worked at the company for 10 years.

"We do things a little differently than they do, but it has helped us thrive and learn more with motivation," she said.

Jackson was among the plant's earliest employees. From technician to trainer, she has witnessed the company's growth from its setup phase to its current operations.

For her, being different does not mean being separate. Daily interactions with Chinese colleagues have made the workplace feel like an extended family.

"Our Chinese colleagues invite us to their homes," Jackson said. "We spend time at each other's houses, so nobody feels left out."

Plant leaders also emphasize the importance of bridging different workplace approaches.

"American teams seem to communicate and escalate issues right away, while the Chinese team is very disciplined and technical," said Gary Moss, the plant's general manager.

"Before escalating, they like to identify the root cause and see if they can fix it behind the scenes. If they can't, they'll have a very good strategic plan," he said.

Building trust

Moss said he does not view the workforce as separate Chinese and US teams.

"I love being just one team, and we really enjoy each other," he said. "We're building trust, and I wake up wanting to go to work."

That spirit is especially meaningful in a region where manufacturing remains closely tied to local identity and economic opportunity. Raised in Detroit, the heart of the US auto industry, Moss sees CW Bearing as part of a long industrial tradition.

Looking ahead, he said sustaining that tradition will depend on attracting younger workers. "A lot of the younger generations are going toward technology or skilled trades," he said. "It's exciting to see more young people here. We need new talent."

Hu Lirong, president and CEO of CW Bearing, said young Chinese professionals tend to value teamwork and stability, while their US counterparts often place greater emphasis on autonomy and personal decision-making.

"Those aren't necessarily conflicting approaches — they can actually balance each other out," Hu said.

He attributed the company's stability in the US to its workforce, saying many employees have spent decades with the company and grown alongside its expansion.

"We've been incredibly fortunate to have employees who have stayed with us for decades," he said. "It's because of their hard work and shared commitment that we've been able to put down strong roots in Michigan and become part of the local community."

That long-term presence has shaped the company's identity, he said, making it not just a Chinese enterprise operating in the United States, but one that combines its Chinese background with deep local integration.

At its core, CW Bearing's experience reflects a broader reality of global business: long-term cooperation depends on trust built through people-to-people relationships, Hu said.

mingmeili@chinadailyusa.com