Yawei Machine Tool: Revitalizing an Aged Enterprise with New Energy

Becoming a Leading Player in the Global Sheet Metal Machine Tool Industry through Technological Innovation

Yawei Machine Tool: An Old Company with New Vigor

Awarded "Advanced Intelligent Manufacturing Enterprise" at the Provincial Manufacturing Conference

This is an impressive report card: an asset total of over 2.1 billion yuan and a profit total exceeding one billion yuan were achieved last year.

This is a company that has been in existence for over 60 years, but through technological innovation, it has transformed from being a manufacturer to a creator and is now considered one of the leading global sheet metal machine tool enterprises.

At the recent Provincial Manufacturing Conference, 100 outstanding Jiangsu manufacturing companies were recognized for their significant contributions. Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool Co., Ltd. was honored with the title of "Advanced Intelligent Manufacturing Enterprise." Regarding this achievement, the company's Party Secretary and former Chairman, Ji Suqin, openly stated, "Yawei Machine Tool's success lies in having strong products, a mechanism for enterprise development, a robust team, and nurturing corporate culture to enhance the core competitiveness of the company and excel in Chinese manufacturing."

Strong Products Enhancing Market Competitiveness

Products represent the integration of various resources within a company, and customer recognition of product quality equates to recognition of the company itself.

On the journey of corporate development, the people at Yawei have faced setbacks and challenges.

However, they realized the need to excel in manufacturing and produce competitive products. In 2011, Yawei initially aimed for the international advanced numerical control press brake. Ji Suqin and the General Manager, Leng Zhibin, led a team to Europe, where they met Mr. Dipperlin, one of the founding fathers of European numerical control press brake technology. With sincere efforts, they established a joint venture, combined domestic market needs with the international technological levels, and successfully developed a numerical control press brake that matched the advanced European standards. In a short period of three years, they surpassed domestic competitors.

After conquering the numerical control press brake market, Yawei did not stop there. They proceeded to collaborate with Japanese and Italian companies to develop and produce internationally advanced and domestically leading numerical control turret punch presses and numerical control bending machines, allowing them to become the "vanguard" of the high-end metal sheet forming machine tool industry in China. Their numerical control turret punch press technology, performance, and sales are top-ranked in China, and they are also competitive in the international market.

Yawei has a national post-doctoral research station and a research team comprising top talent in the field of sheet metal processing machinery, both domestic and international. In recent years, they have undertaken six major provincial-level or higher research projects, with four new products recognized as the first set of major equipment in Jiangsu province. Thirty-six new products were recognized as provincial-level or higher high-tech products, and they have received five provincial-level or higher scientific and technological progress awards and obtained 168 patents, including 18 invention patents. Yawei Machine Tool is a national high-tech enterprise key to the Torch Program, and it has been awarded titles such as "National Advanced Quality Work Unit" and "Top 30 Enterprises in the Chinese Machine Tool and Tool Industry."

Developing Mechanisms for Innovation

At Yawei, a well-known saying goes, "Heroes are not defined by origin, salaries aren't determined by titles, and we employ based on talent rather than seniority." Zhang Guanjun, who was promoted to the position of Head of the Roll Bending Technology Department at the beginning of this year, is a living example of this philosophy. Zhang, who originally hails from Xuzhou, graduated from Yancheng Institute of Technology in 2005, and joined Yawei after graduation. He has personally experienced the principle that "heroes are not defined by origin." In 2013, as the team leader of the technical department, he received a new product development task for the automotive industry. During that time, he and the team spent long hours in the laboratory and production workshop. When other colleagues finished work and left, he was still thinking about product improvements and often worked until after 9 pm. After more than seven months, the product was successfully launched in the market, with sales exceeding 100 million yuan last year, and Zhang was promoted because of this extraordinary achievement.

During his 12 years of working at Yawei, Zhang Guanjun worked diligently, and he was able to purchase a house, a car, and start a family in Jiangdu. In his heart, the "hire the best talent" personnel policy at Yawei played a significant role in his success. Employees like Zhang Guanjun are not rare at Yawei. In January of this year, a group of "post-80s" key employees were promoted to leadership positions in the technical and sales departments.

"At Yawei, talking the talk is not as important as rolling up your sleeves and working on innovation," says Ji Suqin. The company's ability to excel and thrive is based on its team of talents that continuously grows and strengthens under the "racehorse mechanism." High-achieving employees are not only promoted but are also granted incentive shares. This material incentive encourages employees to think creatively and work diligently.

Strengthening the Company through Teamwork

A low-key, pragmatic, innovative, and united team is the source of Yawei's strength.

Yawei was founded in 1956, started restructuring in 2000, transformed from a state-owned company to a pure private limited company held by 500 cadre employees in 2002, transitioned to a joint-stock company in 2008, and successfully listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2011, earning it the reputation as the "first stock in forging machine tools."

With the company's growth, the challenge was how to enable employees to enjoy the benefits of the company's development. Yawei's approach is to have every employee hold shares, united in common purpose and action.

In 2016, as orders for Yawei's numerical control turret punch presses continued to surge, ensuring the product production cycle became a major concern. When it became clear that the production equipment was not keeping pace with the demand, frontline technical workers in the workshop, such as Zhao Zhibin, took it upon themselves to create a technician workshop. They put in extra hours, working long days and evenings. They utilized existing processing centers for punch frame processing through process innovations, successfully solving the issue.

In an effort to break from traditional concepts and management models and help employees adapt to the new production and management situation, Yawei arranged for middle and upper-level cadres to participate in learning sessions every Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The sessions focused on "role understanding," "leadership skills," "coaching skills," and "team building." They promoted a rapid transformation of mindsets and a significant improvement in management skills.

Based on the knowledge gained from these learning programs, Yawei extended these learning opportunities to all employees and initiated the "Happy 20 Minutes" program. During 20 minutes in the morning, employees engage in discussions and exchange information. The company also organizes debriefing sessions and encourages engineering design personnel to break their habit of working in isolation.

The right choice of one person can influence many, and the right combination of a team can inspire great enthusiasm. Yawei is working hard to become a leading international service provider in the field of mechanical equipment and solutions.

Cultivating Company Culture: Integrating Employees into the Company Family

Culture represents a company's soft power, and the people at Yawei understand this well.

At Yawei, there is a wide variety of colorful activities. Yawei has more than 10 hobbyist associations, such as singing and dancing, calligraphy and painting, and photography. They regularly organize karaoke contests, art and photography exhibitions, employee basketball games, badminton matches, and table tennis competitions, all aimed at helping employees improve themselves, relax, and become further integrated into the company family.

At Yawei, safety culture is pervasive in the workshop. Yawei actively participates in the "National Safety Month" activities and vigorously promotes the "Monitoring of Hidden Hazards and Occupational Hazards Law." They have signed and implemented a "Special Collective Contract for Occupational Safety and Health," organized "Safety - Eternal Theme" speech activities, safety knowledge competitions, and have constructed a safe and harmonious internal and external environment.

At Yawei, continuous humane care is provided. The company leverages the role of the labor union as a bridge and link to resolve various conflicts and build a harmonious labor relationship.

When entering Yawei, every workshop has a "Benchmark Culture Column for Employee Behavior." This is part of Yawei's innovative corporate culture, aiming to "internalize in the heart and externalize in actions."