Chai Jianxin’s personal story
Chai Jianxin, who is in his early forties, still retains the living habits he developed while studying in France, taking a hot bath every day. He said unabashedly that I was an "old turtle" (return), but now I am basically a "river turtle country turtle".
Chai is the general manager of Wuxi Little Swan Co., Ltd. At the end of 1996, he came to "Little Swan" as a job seeker. Previously, he studied for a PhD in bathymetric dynamics at Ecole Polytechnique Nationale Supérieure de Lorraine in France.
Internet Marriage
In 1996, the Internet had just emerged, and it was still fashionable to recruit talents through the Internet. Wuxi Little Swan Company tentatively published a global recruitment notice on the Internet, which was accidentally seen by Chai Xinjian, who was studying in France and had just completed his thesis defense.
Little Swan’s chairman Zhu Dekun was eager for talent and immediately warmly invited Dr. Chai to Wuxi for inspection.
Seeing the neat factory buildings, modern production lines, and well-organized management, Chai was a little tempted. But Wuxi is really incomparable with developed Western cities. At this time, a large international company in Australia also sent him an invitation letter.
Before leaving, Zhu Dekun and Chai Xinjian had a secret conversation for half an hour. The general idea of ??this conversation is that Wuxi Little Swan is firmly committed to the goal of revitalizing national industry. But currently, there are 11 foreign-invested washing machine companies within a radius of 500 kilometers, with total investment six times that of the domestic washing machine industry. Eight of them are surrounding Little Swan and eyeing Chinese home appliance companies. Little Swan very much hopes to develop the core technology of washing machines and become a bigger and stronger national brand.
This confidential conversation finally strengthened Dr. Chai’s determination to return to China for employment.
At the end of 1996, Chai Xinjian and his wife came to Wuxi and Little Swan. Zhu Dekun asked him happily, what do you want in terms of treatment? Chai said, I'm here to do things, not to enjoy myself, as long as I don't have to worry about life.
Who says things belonging to foreigners cannot be touched?
After Chai Xinjian came to Little Swan, Chairman Zhu Dekun made the final decision that the research work Dr. Chai is engaged in, the company "must Give money, give money, and give people what you need.”
A research group called "Flow Vibration Noise" was established in Little Swan. This research group is really small, with only four people in total. One is a senior master, one is an engineer who has only graduated from university for two years, and one is a recent college student. The team leader is Chai Xinjian.
The loud noise of washing machines was a common industry problem in China at that time. Little Swan handed over the industry-wide technical problem of "noise reduction" to Chai Xinjian. Coincidentally, water flow is Chai Xinjian’s professional research direction.
Chai is fully aware of the importance of this research. He took off his dress and went deep into the workshop, working alongside the workers and technicians on the assembly line. Four months later, the first technical report came out. As a result, Little Swan washing machines have become popular in the market because of their power saving, water saving and noise reduction.
Shortly thereafter, Chai Xinjian was appointed director of the Little Swan Technology Center, which consists of 80 people. Chairman Zhu Dekun, who has a strong accent in Wuxi, said that from now on, Wuxi dialect will not be allowed in company meetings, but Mandarin must be spoken. Because Chai Xinjian, who was born in Xi'an, could not understand the Wuxi dialect at that time.
Chai Xinjian knew that the burden on his shoulders was much heavier. How can I lead 80 people without making a name for myself to be worthy of the title of director of the technical center?
He wants to dismantle the core technology of the 4.5kg washing machine and try to modify it. This is taboo. Domestic washing machines all imported foreign technology, and no one dared to modify foreign drawings. For many years, they were purely imported and imitated. This was almost an unwritten rule at the time. However, Chai Xinjian said that scientific laws cannot be violated, but the experiences of various countries can be summarized based on their own actual situations. The washing machine is not an airplane, so why can't it move?
The improved "Waterfall King" series of washing machines have finally appeared on the market and are selling well. This is Chai Xinjian's new product based on technological innovations based on Panasonic's prototype, thereby releasing the potential of Japan's fuzzy washing machines. Advantages and solve the headaches of domestic washing machines.
Under the leadership of Chai Xinjian, Little Swan’s technical research began to undergo geometric fission.
The number of national patents applied by the company increased from two in 1996 to more than 200 every year, many of which are technical patents for scientific and technological inventions. Chai Xinjian was quickly appointed as the company’s deputy general manager, in charge of technological efficiency creation.
In 2001, Chai Xinjian took office as general manager after being nominated by Chairman Zhu Dekun.
It is said that when the "referendum" on the whole factory was held before Chai's appointment, only one person abstained from voting, and that was Chai Xinjian himself.
"Turtles" become "country turtles", and employment becomes entrepreneurship
After becoming the general manager, Chai Xinjian said, before, all I had to do was to have food to eat. Now, I want all the workers in the factory to have food and live a better life. [Page]
Chai Xinjian did not forget the secret conversation he had with Zhu Dekun before coming to Little Swan. Faced with the siege of the "Eight-Nation Allied Forces", Chai Xinjian thought of relying on core technology to break through the encirclement.
Under the leadership of Chai Xinjian, Little Swan accelerated the research and development of core technologies, implemented a series of research and development projects, and improved the competitiveness of core technologies.
In June 2003, a mysterious guest came to Shenzhen, China, and asked to meet Little Swan Company by name. He is the famous business representative of American General Motors. After going back and forth, at the end of that year, the two parties finally signed a "long-term cooperation strategic joint development agreement" in Shanghai.
In July 2005, high-end washing machines produced by Little Swan began to be exported to the United States, with each washing machine selling for up to US$1,000. Because this kind of washing machine saves electricity and water, the US government gives buyers a subsidy of US$100 per unit. From this export alone, Little Swan achieved sales of US$40 million that year. Chai Xinjian said that cooperation with GM will find a "strong growth point" for Little Swan. He predicts that in two years, the foreign sales market of Little Swan will exceed the domestic market.
Chai Xinjian, who has a technical background, quickly distinguished himself in management, marketing and other aspects. He proposed that managers should first respect people. The company only has employees, and there is no distinction between doctors, masters, new and old employees. “Look at academic qualifications when entering the door, potential when training, ability when working, and contribution when motivated.” In terms of the company's business philosophy, he proposed to transform from a domestic home appliance manufacturer to an international home appliance manufacturer, to have an open and inclusive attitude toward peers, to compete in cooperation, and to cooperate in competition.
Fate can play tricks on people sometimes. In 1996, Chai Xinjian came to Little Swan as a job seeker. To put it bluntly, he came to find employment. Ten years later, Chai Xin became a moderately successful entrepreneur. Nowadays, Chai Xinjian often appears in various forums and job fairs as a "returning overseas student entrepreneurship model" and "Wuxi's talent recruitment ambassador".
Chai Xinjian said, I am an "old turtle", but my roots are in China. I have caught up with the good times to create great achievements. I would like to be a river turtle in China! ;