Feedback from Chinese reader Neo Huang:

I worked on a project at my company's U.S. branch factory in March. I'm here to share some reflections:

1) Americans like to plan everything. So the testing I was going to had been scheduled two weeks ahead of time. But when I arrived, I was told that not all approvals were in place. It took two days of hard work to walk through the process. And the process will be just as confusing next time. Complicated protocols essentially are a form of bureaucracy. They were made to control risk and regulate procedures. However, they naturally become more complicated over time, just like computer programs in the movie Matrix. If we set risk control aside, American companies can not compete with Chinese private firms on execution and speed.

2) On the flip side, the maintenance of machinery in the U.S. is far better than in China. Forty-year-old machines still look like new. ... They base everything on facts and numbers. Even experts would not make assumptions without data. The Chinese don't have this type of mentality and communication means.

3) Most U.S. workers have been working in the same field for decades. They have rich experience and excellent skills. I didn't spend enough time with them to compare their innovative capability with young workers in China.

Chinese plastics firms are already global leaders in some areas including cost, efficiency and scale. They need to make a real effort in innovation and management. It may take 10 years to perfect management and 20-50 years to develop the innovative spirit and capabilities.