From nil to No. 1 worldwide
By Yayu Wu & Enid Chen
Photos by Yao Fan



ABB Xiamen Low Voltage Equipment Co., Ltd. was formed in 1994 to manufacture modular-designed, compact-structured MNS Low Voltage Switchgears(低压开关柜) and Air Circuit Breakers(气断路器). These durable products are designed to meet the requirements in electric power generation, power distribution and application of electrical energy for users in the fast growing Chinese market.

厦门ABB低压设备有限公司成立于1994年,其新加坡籍总经理倪步青先生早在公司正式成立之前,就来厦筹备,亲历了公司的创业和发展.目前该公司不仅是国内该行业第一品牌,而且在全球ABB同行业中也独占鳌头.面对十年的艰辛历程,倪总说他不后悔十年前的决定,因为他已经深深地爱上了这片热土.

ABB's ten-year development in Xiamen
Q: ABB Xiamen Low Voltage Equipment Company will celebrate its ten-year anniversary this year. Why was Xiamen chosen for the factory location ten years ago?

A: I was here before the company started in Xiamen, conducting some investigation and preparing for the feasibility reports. I traveled widely throughout China for business negotiations and we finally decided to establish the factory in Xiamen in 1994. At that time, our negotiation with Xiamen Electrical Control Factory went on quite smoothly, which was one of the reasons for our decision. On the other hand, ABB Medium Voltage Switchgear Company, with whom we had the same-targeted customers, had already started their business in Xiamen. Hence, it's important for us to be geographically close to each other so that the customers won't have to wait around for our products and they will get to know more about ABB's range of products.

Q: How has the company's performance been since its establishment?

A: It has gone well beyond our expectation. The five-year plan we set at the beginning was accomplished after only two years. The production capacity grew at a fantastic speed. Therefore, we are thinking about enlarging the factory. However the right location for a new factory is yet to be decided since we don't want it to be far away from our existing factory. Hopefully, we can come up with a solution.

Next strategy
Q: There are more than 3,000 competitors in this industry in China. How does ABB view the competition?

A: There is a keen price battle among the domestic competitors. As a matter of fact, they do pose some difficulties to ABB. But we are at an advantageous position in terms of brand name and reliable quality. We are at different levels, just like in the automobile industry. The luxurious cars are unlikely to lower their prices so as to compete with the economic cars.
On the other hand, I'm sometimes upset because we don't have competitors at the same level as us to push us forward. Some multi-national companies that have almost the same price level and same rules for competition are also eyeing the Chinese market. I would like to embrace the competition and look at it in a positive way if they do come.
The situation for the time being is that we are in the leading position in this industry. Just take an example; it's like we are ahead of the domestic competitors on motorcycles while they are running on foot. Sometimes, this is a problem because they might beat us in terms of low price when we are bidding for the same project. In order to mitigate this chance, we sell some of our technology to them and help them increase the quality of their products. They buy our components and improve their quality, which is a win-win situation.

Q: Since you reached your preliminary goal in only two years, what are your plans for the future?

A: At the moment, our quality has already overtaken that of the European factories, which was revealed by the European manufacturers when they paid a visit to our factory here. This is attributed to the techniques of the engineers here and the hard work that the Chinese workers have put forth. Therefore, our customers can rest assured and be satisfied with our excellent quality.
Our next strategy is to continue to put more efforts on technology innovation, improve the efficency and cut down the costs.

A determined general manager
Q: Can you give a brief introduction of your career so far?

A: I had rich experiences working for multi-national companies and worked in four companies before ABB. My first job was in Hewlett Packard, the second was in a telecom company, the third was in Seagate Co., Ltd. and then I was in GEC. In my point of view, my wide experience in these multi-national companies was one of the important reasons that ABB recruited me and sent me to China. Afterwards, these companies became some of our most important customers.
In 1993, ABB went to Singapore to recruit when China was just beginning to grow. I hesitated and tried to weigh the balance. Language was a stumbling block when I had business negotiations with the Chinese partner as my Chinese was not good enough. I was also pondering on my future career as I was in my thirties by then. "Life cannot be so smooth. There should be some setbacks and challenges," I told myself. My father who was from Fuqing, Fujian Province, had exerted a decisive impact on me and pushed me on the decision-making. "It's time for you to go back to hometown," he said. So I finally made up my mind to come to Xiamen.

Q: As a general manager, you have been witnessing the company's development in the past ten years. What is ABB's unique corporate culture?

A: Responsibility, respect and determination are the key principles guiding the ABB culture. As the General Manager, I'm not only responsible for the company but also the staff. Since the goal was set at the beginning, I'm determined to lead my staff towards it. Once the headquarters agree on our feasibility plan, they authorize us to do our business and respect our work without interference. Therefore, I don't feel bound up but on the contrary feel free to bring up the company as I wish.

Q: What do you think is the most important qualification for a general manager?

A: I would put it "more important" rather than "most important". A company is similar to a soccer team. The success depends on the teamwork of each member. So I attach a lot of value to one's attitude towards their work. If we hold a good attitude towards our work and have a strong sense of responsibility, we will succeed.
At the same time, a general manager should be more future-oriented and have an awareness of crises. I might look worried even if we have already achieved what we planned but that's because I look at the future and always keep our vision in mind. We used to have a technology transfer from Europe, but now I hope that one day we will transfer our technology to the European factories since we are constantly innovating technology and developing new products. I won't be satisfied merely being the No. 1 manufacturer in China and No. 1 among the worldwide ABB group. I hope we can be even stronger. In retrospect, I don't regret coming to Xiamen ten years ago, but I only wished that I had been here earlier.