Switching cabinets made by the Rittal company can save other firms thousands of kilowatt hours. A good idea for China's energy-hungry, booming economy. But customers need to be persuaded.

Many of them have never really thought about saving energy. So Volker Palm, business manager of switching cabinet production in China, has his work cut out for him. He wants to ensure that Rittal maintains its position as market leader in China. It's quite a challenge, because switching cabinets are easy to copy. How can Rittal keep its customers loyal? Sibylle Rothe reports from China.