说到与中国和其他新兴市场新崛起的企业竞争时，美国建筑和采矿设备制造商通常会称自己的王牌是质量。不得不承认，虽然美国设计的机械价格较高，但的确更加耐用，从长远来看能节约用户成本。

但总部位于伦敦的采矿业巨头力拓(Rio Tinto)上周的话给这一观念带来了打击。力拓首席执行长沃尔什(Sam Walsh)上周三在伦敦举行的一次投资者会议上表示，该公司一直在增加从中国和印度采购设备等产品，同时发现这些产品的质量相当不错。

沃尔什表示，所采购的产品中包括重型卡车，以及为运输铁矿石的轮船和轨道车装货的设备。当他们把这些设备与老供应商的产品比较时，意外发现前者的质量实际上好得多。

研 究中国设备制造商已有十年的J.P. Morgan Equity Research分析师杜伊格南(Ann Duignan)表示，中国制造商产品的质量差异巨大，其中最好的制造商质量提高的速度快得令人难以置信。这为包括卡特彼勒(Caterpillar Inc.)和Joy Global Inc.在内的许多西方设备制造商带来更严峻的竞争局面。卡特彼勒生产建筑和采矿设备。Joy Global制造巨型挖土机和其他采矿设备。

卡特彼勒一名发言人不予置评。Joy Global一名发言人称未能联系到管理层发表评论。

卡特彼勒和Joy Global近几年都在中国收购了一些设备制造商以拓宽进入中国市场的渠道，降低生产成本以及更好地设计能迎合本地用户需要的机械。

Joy Global在上周三的投资者会议上乐观谈及了在中国出售更多所生产采矿设备的前景。将于下月成为该公司首席执行长的执行副总裁多希尼(Ted Doheny)表示，他们正非常努力地提高自身技术和服务模式在中国的差异化程度。他称，新款设备（其中一些由在中国的工程团队设计）将为公司在2014 年及之后创造增长机会。

When it comes to competing against upstarts from China and other so-called emerging markets, U.S. makers of construction and miningequipment tend to say their trump card is quality: Sure, the American-designed machines cost more, but they also last longer, saving the customer money in the long haul.

Rio Tinto, a London-based mining giant, put a dent in that notion this week. At an investorconference in London on Wednesday, Rio Tinto CEO Sam Walsh said his company has been increasing purchases of equipment and other items from China and India -- and has found the quality impressive.

'It tends to be sophisticated purchases, which sort of is a little bit intriguing,' Mr. Walsh said. Among the purchases were heavy-duty trucks, equipment for loading ships and rail cars that carry ore, he said. 'Funnily enough, when the original ore cars came in and we evaluated those against the traditional supplier, the quality was actually much higher,' he said. 'Instead of spot welds, for example, on the sheet metal they were actuallycontinuous welds.'

Ann Duignan, an analyst at J.P. Morgan Equity Research who has been visiting Chinese equipment makers for a decade, said quality varies hugely among them. At the best ones, 'it's incredible the speed at which they are coming up the quality curve,' she said. That spells tougher competition for a host of Western equipment makers, including Caterpillar Inc., which makes both construction and mining equipment, and Joy Global Inc., which makes giant shovels and other gear used in mining.

A Caterpillar spokeswoman declined to comment. At Joy, a spokeswoman said executives weren't available to comment.

Both Caterpillar and Joy have made acquisitions of equipment makers in China in recent years to seek better access to the Chinese market, reduce production costs and gain more expertise in tailoring machinery to local preferences.

During its investor call Wednesday, Joy talked up opportunities to sell more of its miningequipment in China. 'We're working very hard to differentiate with our technology and with our service model' in China, said Ted Doheny, an executive vice president who is due to become Joy's CEO next month. New types of equipment, some designed by Joy's engineering teams in China, 'will create growth opportunities in 2014 and beyond,' he said.

• construction [kən´strʌkʃən]   n.建设；修建；结构   (初中英语单词)
• equipment [i´kwipmənt]   n.装备，设备   (初中英语单词)
• customer [´kʌstəmə]   n.顾客，买主，主顾   (初中英语单词)
• conference [´kɔnfərəns]   n.讨论(会)；会谈   (初中英语单词)
• wednesday [´wenzdi]   n.星期三   (初中英语单词)
• actually [´æktʃuəli]   ad.事实上；实际上   (初中英语单词)
• continuous [kən´tinjuəs]   a.连续不断的；延长的   (初中英语单词)
• research [ri´sə:tʃ]   n.&vi.调查；探究；研究   (初中英语单词)
• competition [,kɔmpi´tiʃən]   n.比赛；竞争   (初中英语单词)
• western [´westən]   a.西的；西方的   (初中英语单词)
• comment [´kɔment]   n.&v.评论；评注；注意   (初中英语单词)
• available [ə´veiləbəl]   a.可用的；有效的   (初中英语单词)
• tailoring [´teiləriŋ]   n.裁缝业；缝工   (初中英语单词)
• working [´wə:kiŋ]   a.工人的；劳动的   (初中英语单词)
• executive [ig´zekjutiv]   a.行政的 n.行政官   (初中英语单词)
• so-called [´sou ´kɔ:ld]   a.所谓的，号称的   (高中英语单词)
• mining [´mainiŋ]   n.采矿；矿业   (高中英语单词)
• impressive [im´presiv]   a.给人深刻印象的   (高中英语单词)
• decade [´dekeid]   n.十年(间)   (高中英语单词)
• incredible [in´kredəbəl]   a.不能相信的；惊人的   (高中英语单词)
• caterpillar [´kætə,pilə]   n.毛虫；履带   (高中英语单词)
• access [´ækses]   n.接近；通路；进入   (高中英语单词)
• engineering [,endʒi´niəriŋ]   n.工程技术；工程学   (高中英语单词)
• traditional [trə´diʃənəl]   a.传统的，习惯的   (英语四级单词)
• equity [´ekwiti]   n.公平；公正   (英语六级单词)
• investor [in´vestə]   n.投资者   (英语六级单词)