Abstract
This is the first of a two-case series (310-003-1 and 310-004-1). Four Dimensions Industrial Group is a Chinese private manufacturer of cash-in-transit (CIT) vehicles. In 1997, FD entered the CIT vehicle industry by forming a joint venture with Johnson Security Ltd, a British family-owned company. With rapid growth as a consequence of the boom in the professional escort market segment, FD aimed at becoming the world's leading provider of special vehicles by combining the advantages of foreign companies in technology and brand with the labour cost advantage of FD. In 2007, FD acquired all the shares of Johnson. However, the integration turned out to be more difficult than Wang expected. The company met with resistance from the Johnson staff. FD had to earn the trust of the British staff despite many differences between the two countries and the two companies. Moreover, the poor management at Johnson was another barrier in the integration process, and FD was inexperienced in solving problems resulting from it. Case (A) presents the challenges FD faced shortly after the acquisition was completed in 2007, and case (B) introduces the efforts FD made during the first year to create synergies in its first cross-border merger and acquisition.