Factory boss endures guns, graft and culture to deliver the goods

American Charles Swindle came to the Pearl River Delta 15 years ago to work in a factory producing fake Christmas trees, fabric flowers and other home decor items. The conditions were primitive, the authorities well-armed and obstinate and the cultural challenges daunting.

Yet he loved every minute of it - even when the installation of a septic tank caused officials to reclassify the factory as a fertiliser plant and tax it accordingly. With patience, Mr Swindle, 56, eventually persuaded them to look the other way.

The factory, in the small township of Huidong, in Huizhou, was wholly owned by Caffco International of the United States. Caffco shifted its operations to Guangdong from the Philippines in 1979.

Unlike previous managers, Mr Swindle chose to live at the factory. The managers' quarters were an improvement on the workers' dormitories as he shared a bathroom with just one other manager.

Living and interacting with the workers proved important to the company's success. 'The Chinese workers became more responsible when they saw me with them every day. I got to know them, how they worked, their families,' Mr Swindle said.

On-site living also helped him get a handle on company production - correcting mistakes and improving product designs on the spot. 'If we were going to make terra cotta pots, I went where they were digging the dirt. Digging the dirt was literally part of the production process,' he explains.