Dieter Vögtli

Engineer (ETH) and MBA (INSEAD) member of the Executive Board and president for China and Asia-Pacific at Bühler Group Uzwil, Wuxi

Dieter Vögtli spent eight years as technical director at Roche China Ltd. He began his career in global power-plant commissioning and as a software development manager at ABB. He now runs Bühler’s China and Asia-Pacific activities.

“We always speak of the not-invented-here syndrome. That’s unimaginable in China. You don’t have to invent things afresh. That’s why I always say, ‘Stop with the fear. They’ll copy you whether you do anything about it or not. It’s irrelevant. Anyone who’s good gets copied. So be better, be faster.’”

“The Chinese taught us how to simplify a product and successfully adapt it for the local market. The Chinese learned how to comply with quality standards. Together, we achieved Bühler quality, robustness, and reliability at a much lower price.”