Cheng to fix Fiat's China purchasing.(News)

Byline: Alysha Webb

Fiat's Jack Cheng feels a sense of urgency.

The native of Taiwan must find and develop good suppliers in China so the partsmakers have a chance to be chosen for Fiat's upcoming global platform launches.

Cheng also must centralize Fiat's purchasing in China, creating a structure where none existed before.

If he succeeds, Fiat will be able to save money by purchasing parts from China for the Italian conglomerate's worldwide operations.

"When you have good volume, you have good leverage" to ask suppliers for lower prices, says Cheng.

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