Interview with Qiaoshou Lighting Factory General Manager, Li Yongyi
Li Yongyi, who is the general manager of Guzhen Zhongshan City Qiaoshou Lighting Factory. Qiaoshou Lighting Factory is located in Guzhen Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province and was founded in 1998. It currently has more than 200 employees and its factory covers an area of over 10,000 square meters. First-class equipment and strict quality management system make Qiaoshou Lighting Factory to become the leader in Asian lighting market. Its products are exported to Russia, Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Germany • Frankfurt, and other countries. It has been successful that participating in many major foreign professional lighting exhibitions. Qiaoshou products have simple classic style and all are made by natural materials. The products have a good repute at home and abroad. Through the test of time and unremitting efforts, Qiaoshou has its unique style and won Technology Patents Certificate in 2007.
(Patent No. 200620067890.9)
It was deeply attracted me by the products when I entered Qiaoshou Lighting Store in Wenzhou Street. Each lamp from every point of appreciation is full of ingenious and lively. In the magnificent reception, I met with general manager Mr. Li, who is a honest and wise businessman. He has able hair and tan skin. At first sight, you can see that he experienced many hardships.
Reporter: We know your company was founded in 1998 and established 10 years. Are there any touching and hard stories?
Mr. Li: I can’t say touching and hard. But our company has always insisted the belief –or do not, once we decide do, we will make our own style. I remember just the beginning, I chose the independent development of new products because I don’t want to have been popular lighting in the market and only produced the most suitable lamps. Our first products are rattan lights. At that time, due to the lack of mature design, I was striving for perfection and destructed all lights of this first batch. A friend told me that the lights could sell so much, the total loss was great. I thought:” No, Qiaoshou must operate in good faith and build its own goodwill. Later, after our continuous improvement, our rattan lights are exquisite and have fine workmanship. They are well received by the market's welcome. Now we have the best-selling of rattan lights all over the world.
Reporter: Yes! Looking at different form and the quality of refined rattan lights, your factory must have a smart and deft team. Then as an entrepreneur, you are not just a decision-makers, but also a manager, can you tell me something about management concept?
Mr. Li: I think there are some words very effective: Make your subordinates have the same sense of responsibility and talented like you, you are in successful management.
Reporter: Management can be divided into two aspects of personnel management and production management. Can you talk about the personnel management of your factory?
Mr. Li: There has been a tremendous increase in mobility nowadays. It is necessary to retain talented people to our ideals as his ideals. If have the common objective, it will be better to develop the wisdom.
Second, what we can provide for them? We can provide a favorable working environment and a platform to display their talent. Therefore, our company is based on the management system "how much ability you have, we give you the same treatment". So that our staff can be realized on the life value.
A dynamic enterprise are able to attract the most talented people, but also retain the best talent.
Reporter: We know your factory is the only one in Zhongshan City which uses wire with the right bend during the lights manufacture. Your products are delicate and finely divided. What is the design idea?
Mr. Li: At that time, rattan lights increasingly saturated in the market. In case to stand our ground stability, we must be vigilant in peace time, "the others did not have, I have, the others have, I have the better, the others have the better, I have the best." Therefore I sprout that giving up the research and development of rattan lights temporarily and focus on the development of the new-style lights. Speaking about this, I have to start with a magazine. I had a chance to see a magazine about some exquisite furniture, which is wonderful furniture effect of the reflection of several colorful apertures, such as an European-style of abstract and fantasy. I thought that using those apertures design in lighting to make a clearly hue visual effects by the refraction of the light, to producing the lights which are simple, abstract and fantasy. Through the integrated research and development of our design team, we also found that various dizzy of the lighting will changeable with the color of lights and the strength of a different far from ray. However, what surprise we are by the holistic effective it formed!
(A wonderful discovery can bring a new vitality to the lighting industry, Qiaoshou have owed the Patent Right itself.)
Reporter: As we know that many of your products are exported to European markets, such as Russia, Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Germany • Frankfurt, and other countries. Now the international market appears inflation and the price of raw materials continues to improve. What influence will it bring to you? If so, What are you going to do? Do you have any plans?
Mr. Li: The cost increasing really gives us tremendous pressure. In 2007, the unit price we purchased wiriness from Guangxi was around 4,000 RMB, but at the begin of 2008, it has up to 7,000 RMB, almost double cost then last year. The pressure is very great. With the appreciation of the RMB and unstable of international market, the domestic lights industries are falling under the serious impact. To ensure that we and our customers can keep competitive advantage, we always strive to maintain the stability of the products’ price. Therefore, we develop a wider international sales market by activities. We also will participate in more trade fairs and expand the European market into the world as North America, Australia etc., in order to reduce the impact of rising costs.
Of course, it can be not ignored to reduce the cost. The lower cost and the survival, development, the ability of enterprise is very important for the competitiveness in the market. We will optimize the cost of the decision-making and strengthen the cost control, to be accurate technically and develop new energy-saving technologies.
Reporter: The market now have more and more popular continental simple style lights, we also note that there is a lighting which attract people's attention slowly, that is, classical lights. It is understood that, there are two factions of the traditional lighting. One is the Royal and aristocratic culture of Europe, America style, another is about 5,000 years culture of Chinese style. What is your view of Chinese classical lights?
Mr. Li: Classical lights have indeed recovered in the past two years and the lights added some modern elements. Chinese classical lamps are the largest characterized by heavy cultural heritage and exquisite technology. I have full confidence in prospects for development of it. The lighting industry is adding new elements constantly just now. What is the new element? How to match with the original characteristics of classical lights? These must be further investigation and research by professional men.
Postscript: The end of the interview, we had dinner together with Mr. Li. His humor talk and chipper laughter left us very deep impression. In the dinner remarked that he learned English by night school in every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. He said that success will not go to us, but we can be courageous to go to success. His easygoing makes our interview very smoothly and let us know many hard stories behind a successful entrepreneur.
A good leader can lead his team well. Li Yongyi, one filled with hard work and wisdom person, I was deeply conquered by his perseverance, his wisdom and his unique market analysis. I dare not say that his management is the best, but I am sure that his management is the most suitable for Qiaoshou Lighting Factory.
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