As an entrepreneur, set an example for outstanding employees

-- Record by Shen Yongjun, Director of the Technology Department of Nanhua West Group

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My initial impression of Mr. Shen came from what others had said. On the very first day I started working at the company, I heard my colleagues repeatedly refer to Mr. Shen as 'the best man in Nanhuaxi'. 'Good man' became the first label associated with Mr. Shen in my mind. 

What is a good man? Baidu Encyclopedia explains it as follows: A good man is one who can accurately play various roles on the stage of his own life. And profound sense of responsibility, tenacious perseverance, superb skills, excellent character, and so on are the basic elements for becoming a good man. 

Firstly, from the perspective of basic qualities, Mr. Shen possesses all the traits of a good man: he works diligently and meticulously, which is a manifestation of his profound sense of responsibility; his 20 years of silent persistence and unremitting efforts in *** are a demonstration of his tenacious willpower; his technical responsibility as the chief engineer of the group is a reflection of his superb skills; and his sincerity towards others and his gentle and refined demeanor are a manifestation of his excellent character. 

Secondly, from the perspective of role-playing, calling Shen General a 'good man' is even more appropriate. 

In family life, Shen is always the son, the father, and the husband. As a son, Shen always fulfills his duty of filial piety and takes care of his parents. As a father, Shen personally tutors his son in his studies, from primary school all the way to high school, for ten years without a single day of slackness. As a husband, Shen is diligent in taking care of the family and loves his wife. He is an excellent cook and, just like he is filial to his own parents, he is also very respectful to his wife's parents. 

In social life, Shen is a leader, a colleague, and an employee. He has been working at *** for twenty years. He dedicated all the warmth of his life to the company. I remember at the award ceremony for veteran employees on the 20th anniversary of the company's establishment, there was such a speech: 'Ten years have passed, twenty years have passed. Some have grown into managers of the company, while others still persistently work on the production front. They have engraved their glorious years and the course of their struggles onto the rings of *** Company.' This is exactly the most true portrayal of Mr. Shen.

The passionate years in the early stage of entrepreneurship

Shen was Wen's classmate at university. After graduating from East China Transportation University in 1993, they were both assigned to the original Railway Ministry's Guiyang Vehicle Factory and became colleagues and roommates. 

At the beginning of the second year, before the one-year internship was over, Mr. Wen left Guiyang Vehicle Factory and went to Shenzhen. While Mr. Shen stayed at the factory. After the internship, Mr. Shen successfully became a regular employee and stood out among the 80+ interns of the same period, being rated as an outstanding intern and becoming a key training target of the factory, with a bright future ahead. However, in the end, Mr. Shen did not follow this script. 

In 1995, Mr. Wen founded Nanhuaxi Company in Shenzhen. In early 1996, inspired by Mr. Wen, Mr. Shen left his well-paying job and, with great determination, came to Shenzhen to join a small workshop company that had just been established but faced an uncertain future. 

At that time, the company rented a three-bedroom apartment in Nanhou Daxin Village. One room was for the female staff, another was for the male staff, and the third was for Mr. Wen and his wife. The living room was the company's production workshop, filled with distribution boxes and materials, making it difficult to pass through. Not long after, due to the increase in business, the company rented another warehouse nearby, which was about 100 square meters, to use as a factory. The materials and boxes were moved to the warehouse, but it was discovered that the iron door lock of the warehouse was broken and couldn't be repaired immediately. The boxes and materials that had just been moved in were already the entire property of the company. Without locking them, they might be stolen. What should be done? Finally, Mr. Shen proposed that he would stay in the factory. So, Mr. Shen settled down in the dark and dim factory. He placed the distribution cabinets on the ground upside down and slept on them at night. He slept there for three days until the lock was repaired.

The difficulties in life can be overcome relatively easily, but the difficulties at work are much more challenging. Facing a completely new industry, being able to devote oneself to serious study and complete a task within a short period of time is already very difficult. However, due to the weak technical capabilities of the company and the shortage of staff, Mr. Shen had to take on multiple roles. Not only did he have to handle technical work, but he also had to handle quotation and pre-sales coordination tasks. When there were urgent delivery orders, he had to lead his colleagues to work through the night to produce the goods. After production was completed, he was also responsible for delivering the goods and cooperating with the customers for installation and commissioning. All these seemingly impossible tasks were accomplished by Mr. Shen, and he did them all very well. 

General Shen's hard work and efforts have received a response from the market. At that time, there was a project of a city garden. At that time, there were already about seven or eight companies making offers. Nanhuaxi didn't even have the chance to make an offer. Under the persistent persuasion of the salesperson Deng Guiyun, the client finally agreed to give them an offer opportunity. However, according to the client's requirements, the offer was acceptable, but it must be submitted precisely at 8 o'clock in the morning the next day, and the borrowed blueprint must be returned to them. Anyone with a discerning eye could immediately see that this was the client's attempt to put us to the test and deal with us. But General Shen still worked with all his might, working overtime all night. He spread the blueprint on the bed in his dormitory, calculating one distribution box after another under the dim light. Finally, at 6:30 in the morning, he handed over the neatly typed and written offer to Deng Guiyun. Deng Guiyun then sent the blueprint and the offer to the client early in the morning, touching the client and eventually signing an order worth a significant amount for the company at that time.

The role of technology during the growth period

It was precisely due to the tireless efforts of the founding generation of entrepreneurs such as Mr. Shen that the company was able to embark on a rapid development path. In 1999, the company moved into Guoxing Building and for the first time had its own office; in 2002, it acquired Guangdong Nanhua Switch Factory, and the company's production site was relocated to Guangzhou; in 2008, the production site was again moved from Guangzhou to Dongguan, establishing the Nanhua West Electrical Industrial Park. With each change, the company has grown from an initial small workshop of only a few dozen square meters to a modern industrial park covering several tens of thousands of square meters. 

As the company grew, the division of labor became increasingly detailed. Mr. Shen gradually moved away from tasks such as quotations and no longer held multiple positions. Instead, he began to focus on technological development and management. To enhance product quality and production efficiency, after the production factory was relocated from Guangzhou to the Nanhuaxi Electrical Industrial Park in Dongguan, Mr. Shen began to work tirelessly, frequently traveling between Dongguan and Shenzhen, and devoted himself to the technical improvement and transformation of products. 

Mr. Shen's technical improvement and renovation work is mainly carried out in six aspects: 

Product appearance 

After a thorough inspection of the product's appearance, Mr. Shen made comprehensive renovations to everything from the box body to the door locks and signs. For instance, the signs were previously made of paper, which were neither aesthetically pleasing nor durable. After the renovation, computer-engraved blue signs were used instead of the paper ones, making them sturdy and elegant. 

2. Internal Structure 

Mr. Shen personally took charge of the project, repeatedly designing and testing. He carried out comprehensive optimization and renovation of the internal structure. For instance, the widespread use of distribution terminals not only saved space in the box but also made the wiring more aesthetically pleasing; another example is the use of cable trays for secondary lines in the control box, which is not only visually appealing but also facilitates on-site debugging and maintenance. 

3. Production Tools 

As the saying goes: One must prepare well before doing something well. However, this company started as a small workshop and is accustomed to using traditional tools and processing methods. They have very little exposure to modern production tools, which has led to low production efficiency. 

Mr. Shen realized that the transformation of production tools was urgent. Therefore, he conducted extensive investigations and vigorously introduced various modern production tools, such as pneumatic tools and numerical control machinery. As a result, these tools were widely adopted and applied in the company, significantly enhancing the company's production efficiency and product craftsmanship. 

4. Process Flow 

As the company originated from a small workshop, there are still many remnants of the small workshop mentality in its production operations. To meet the requirements of modern production, Mr. Shen carried out a comprehensive transformation of the processing techniques and production processes, and compiled a complete process manual, enabling the company's production operations to move towards standardization and normalization. 

5. Technological Innovation 

Innovation is the source of progress. Under the leadership of Mr. Shen, a series of innovations were carried out on the company's products. The control boxes, secondary lines, and general principle diagrams were revised. The control boxes for the company's fans and water pumps fully meet all the requirements of fire protection and building automation. 

6. International Cooperation 

By working closely with the industry leaders, especially with Schneider, and strengthening cooperation with them, Mr. Shen has always advocated for enhancing the company's product and technological advantages. 

Under the strong promotion of Mr. Shen and others, the company became a partner of Schneider Electric and a project partner of Schneider Electric. It also obtained the production and sales authorization for Schneider B cabinets, Smart Pand cabinets, and iPM cabinets, enabling the company to stand on the shoulders of giants. 

As the saying goes, 'Inner cultivation leads to external governance.' Through comprehensive renovations and improvements in aspects such as the appearance, internal quality, production processes, and production efficiency of the company's products, the company's competitiveness has been significantly enhanced, laying a solid foundation for it to achieve the market position of 'the top three box manufacturers' in the industry.