An interview to Fangzheng leaders by magazine Jianxin
A talk to general manager of Ningbo Fangzheng Tool Co., Ltd.
Fang Yongjie, General manager
Kuangheng, the famous writer of the Western Han Dynasty, once pierced the wall to steal a light to study diligently in the face of hardship. This story has already become an allusion in China. In this information era, as people have to overcome information influence to make the right decision, few company can dig deeply in its professional field to continue to create value as what they do at the beginning. When innovation is talked by everyone while market are filled with similar products, how many companies dare to make innovation a normal of development.
Ningbo Fangzheng Tool Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Fangzheng), our interviewee today is the one who has been staying true to its original aspiration in R&D, manufacture and operation of plastic automobile mould since its funding in 1999. Its main high-and-new tech-products include automobile interior/exterior, fuel tank and double injection mould. Almost two decades years later, it is now a leading company in mould industry in Ningbo with performance keeps growing steadily those years.
Fang Yongjie, general manager of Ningbo Fangzheng Tool Co., Ltd.
Focus - power source of company development
The past 18 years have seen Ningbo Fangzheng gradually realizing its dream steadfastly with more and more confidence and being recognized by famous automobile suppliers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benze, Audi both home and abroad. Ningbo Fangzheng ranks first in the top-10 mould suppliers in Ningbo. Since 2012, it has been grown at an annual average rate of as high as over 20%. It has also been recognized as the best supplier in four years successively by both FAW-VOLKSWAGEN AUTOMOTIVE CO., LTD. and SAIC General Motors Company Ltd. And was awarded with the Best Craftsman of industrial equipment.
All those achievements depend on its persistence of technology and professional technology team. As described by Fang, technical team of the company includes a numbers of foreign mould experts of authority who are highly familiar with standards and have rich experiences in the design and manufacture of first-rate mould, as well as in automobile mould R&D. As such, Fangzheng ranks ahead in peers. In September 2016, Fangzheng has established a workstation leaded by Li Dequn, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and a well-known moulding expert. The workstation,leaded by a team including 5 members under Li, 5 supporting members of Fangzheng, mainly conducts cooperative automobile mould R&D and manufacturing.
Notwithstanding, Fang clearly knows that sustainable growth depends on continued R&D and innovation to stimulate technology advance. The company plans to build a R&D center in Germany - which has advanced manufacture industry. Aiming to build itself into a professional technology supporting organization of mould industry, the center will introduce advanced foreign mould R&D and manufacturing technologies, promote the standardization of automobile mould, optimize design and manufacturing processes, so as to strengthen competitiveness of related corporate and the whole automobile mould industry of China.
Furthermore, Fang told us that Ningbo Fangzheng is planning to realize intelligent mould production by building an intelligent production line in the new plant, and by cooperating with Huazhong University of Science and Technology on digital mould technology development. Through this cooperation, the two sides will customize technology development by developing special automobile mould design system on integrated CAD platform considering structural characteristics of Fangzheng mould and based on knowledge and procedures as well as engineering experiences of mould design.
Meanwhile, in responding to the speeding up of automotive light weighting globally, Ningbo Fangzheng is formulating its own strategy. In the future, R&D will focus on forming and moulding technologies of hot forming of thermoplastic carbon fiber composite material, microcellular foaming, high fineness temperature control mould, integrated forming process of multi-craft and mould technologies etc. In such way, the company will build it self into a world class automotive mould supplier relying on new processes, technologies, patents and transformation of scientific and technological achievements.
The core development strength of Ningbo Fangzheng lies in its clear reorganization of its advantages and makes everlasting breakthroughs. Keep optimizing its own technologies by focusing on practice without being impacted by short-sighted action of peers, may be this is what manufactures should do.
Innovation - new engine of company development
The momentum of development will be greatly limited if a company, after grown up, satisfies to its current situation without seeking to make business breakthrough and innovation. As managers, we must get rid of traditional ways of thinking to judge the hour and size up the situation to make decisions and plan based on long term development of the company.
And this is exactly what Fang Yongjie, the general manager of Ningbo Fangzheng Tool Co., Ltd. deeply known.
Fang said that innovation is a foundation of company development, whereby a company increases its added value, seeks development and strides forward. For a company, innovation involves concepts, organization, technologies, products, services, markets and many others aspects.
In aspect of organization innovation, in order to improve production effectiveness, the company regulates mould production process by replacing the previous system of contract to mould headman with procedure production mode of modern industry. When it comes to technology innovation, the company always keeps peace with cut-edge mould technologies. For example, it has researched and developed the multilayer blow mould of automotive fuel system (oil tank and oil filer tube) independently, with only 3 companies grasp this technology over the world at present, and is the only company who grasp this technology in China. In both production scale and cut edge technology, Ningbo Fangzheng ranks high in Asia with market share in China as high as 80%. Fang introduced to us.
Thus it can be seen that as market developing rapidly, innovation has already been rooted deeply in the earth of Fangzheng.
Advanced ideas - vital force of company development
Currently, on one side, domestic mould suppliers are springing up like mushrooms, on the other side, a large number of foreign mould brands are entering into China. Such external environment change poses high pressure, from mould field and other related fields, on local mould suppliers in Ningbo. So we must try to maintain our competitiveness in the fierce market .
As saying goes: “Vision spurs action and is achieved through action.” When we talked about how to keep activity, Fang presented us a new view. He said that company culture, technology innovation and management are pillars of corporate development. Company culture is the ever lasting driving force, which provides inner impetus for technology innovation. To be more specific, this impetus is represented by self-inspiration, pursuit excellent and dedication; technology innovation is carried out by people with innovative thought, which can’t be realized without satisfying their needs and will promote their development; company culture sets directions and prospects for employee development, thereby stimulates their innovative thoughts and actions - the elements of technology innovation. To carry forward technology innovation, company must get rid of traditional limitations tending to make company satisfying to its current situation and lacking of willingness to make innovation.
To some extent, we may say it’s right because such deep and true understanding of business, strategy and innovation of leadership of this company can Ningbo Fangzheng make such glorious achievements during the past 18 years by pursuing excellence and making breakthroughs. Fang told us that corporate management is neither mode nor method, but is goal itself. “Corporate management is a system work involving each post, thing and action. Generally speaking, a good management system covers each thing seems unimportant and implements simple system thoroughly and lastingly.” said Fang. Furthermore, he regards corporate compete as compete in capital, product, technology, talent and management, among which, technology, company culture and management complement each other.
Furthermore, he regards corporate compete as compete in capital, product, technology, talent and management, among which, technology, company culture and management complement each other.
As saying goes “Easier said than done”, while transformation is much more the only way to rebirth than an idle talk. Meanwhile, as market and competitiveness keep changing, corporate needs to continue to adjust and complete its transformation strategy and development mode and to improve its competitive capacity. To make success, corporate must put user’s needs at first and try every effort to provide solution for users, and create value with expertise, drive added value by innovation, manage itself with advanced ideas.
