Colgate traditionally has had a strong presence overseas The company has operations in Australia, Latin America Canada, France and Germany. International sales pres entry represent one-half of Colgate's total revenue. In the past. Colgate always made a detailed analysis of each international market for demand. For instance, its entry into South America required an anulysis of the type of product that would be most successful based on the den tal hygiene needs of South American consumers. Because of this commitment to local cultural differences. the company has the number-one brand of toothpaste world wide. Iotal lo gain a strong share of the Asian market without hav. ing to build its own production plant. Colgate bought a 50 percent partnership in the Hawley and Hazel group in August 1985 for S50 million. One stipulation of this agree ment was that Colgate had no management prerogatives: Hawley and Hazel maintained the right to make the major decisions in the organization. This partnership turned out to be very lucrative for Colgate, with double-digit millions in annual sales.