In early 2020, Wang Qi, who had just graduated with a degree in Marine Engineering from Guangdong Ocean University, happened to join Charoen Pokphand through campus recruitment and became part of Charoen Pokphand Automation. Wang Qi said that one of the key factors that initially drew him to Charoen Pokphand was its proximity to home—believing it would be convenient to return home at any time. However, he later made the resolute decision to follow his mentor, Manager Liu Junxiao, to the Zhongshan office, thus embarking on his first sales career.

As a fresh graduate just starting out, with a degree that didn’t align with his career path and zero sales experience, he—who had led a relatively smooth life since birth—faced the first major hurdle of his career. It was the height of summer, and he found himself alone in an unfamiliar city, opening up a map to search for bus routes that would take him to his client’s location. Often, his bus rides would last as long as two hours, and sometimes he even had to carry two sets of clean clothes with him. Sweating profusely, he’d finally arrive near his client, find a secluded spot to change into clean clothes, wipe off his sweat, and then head over to meet the unfamiliar client—just so he could make the most of the limited time he had with them and present his very best self, showcasing the very best of Zhengda. For a long time, this kind of experience became the norm, and being turned away by clients became all too commonplace.

Speaking of the most memorable experience since joining the company, he mentioned that during one business engagement, his lack of experience and insufficient attention to detail had triggered a furious reaction from the client—so much so that the client was even considering filing a complaint against him with the company’s leadership, nearly jeopardizing the entire collaboration. In the end, thanks to the help of his supervisor and his own persistent efforts—including numerous in-person visits—he gradually built a closer relationship with the client and managed to avert the crisis. In the early stages, due to insufficient professional knowledge and lack of experience, coupled with the fact that he had no place to stay during the day, Wang Qi would basically return to the office every evening and work overtime to address customer issues and deepen his understanding of the relevant expertise.

Gradually finding the feel for it.

From being a rookie to gaining some basic knowledge; from choosing to develop in Zhongshan to now taking on the responsibility of developing the Bai District in Jiangmen and becoming the head of the Jiangmen region at Zhengda Automation—within just two short years, Wang Qi’s growth has been truly remarkable. Last year, he even exceeded his annual sales target, becoming a benchmark figure among the company’s sales staff. Also last year, he received recognition from both the company and its leaders, earning the prestigious title of “Employee of the Year.” In response, Wang Qi said: “First, I’d like to thank Xiao Ge, my mentor who guided me when I first joined Zhengda. As my first guide at Zhengda, he’s not only my supervisor at work but also like an older brother in life—he’s always provided me with tremendous help and energy. Second, I’d like to express my gratitude to General Manager Peng and Deputy General Manager Hu for their guidance and mentorship, which have accelerated my growth significantly. Finally, I’d like to thank the company itself—for having such a great platform has enabled me to better showcase my abilities. What resonates most deeply with me isn’t what the past has brought me, but rather that it will serve as a driving force, motivating me to work even harder in the future. These achievements merely represent the past; I’ll keep pushing forward with full energy and continue delivering my best performance in my work.”

"Cherish the prime of youth; the future holds promise."

Regarding the decision to develop new business in the Bai District of Jiangmen, Wang Qi believes that, first and foremost, as a member of the company, this represents both a responsibility and a mission. When the company needs it, he feels it’s his duty to step up without hesitation. Second, this opportunity also serves as an experiment and a challenge for his own career—a chance to fully demonstrate his capabilities and further propel his personal growth. As for his future career plans, he says he needs to continue enhancing his professional expertise and business skills, quickly establish a solid foothold in Jiangmen, acquire more new clients, and strive to exceed the targets set for the Jiangmen region. He also aims to achieve a promotion, build his own team, rapidly develop the ability to mentor newcomers, and assist his superiors in setting up the Zhongshan branch office.

Editor's Note: In the eyes of his onboarding mentor, Manager Liu Junxiao, Wang Qi has consistently demonstrated exceptional enthusiasm and initiative, displaying remarkable resilience. Manager Liu also expressed his hope that Wang Qi will continue to maintain this high level of performance and, in the development work for the Bai District in Jiangmen, “step up to the plate, roll up his sleeves, and deliver outstanding results,” living up to everyone’s expectations. “Great motivation comes from ambitious goals.” We firmly believe that with Wang Qi’s relentless efforts, he will surely carve out his own bright future in the electromechanical industry!

In any case, stay grounded and address customer needs effectively.

— 2021 “Outstanding Employee” Dongguan Dasheng Zhang Changliang Exclusive Interview

(Dongguan Dasheng Technology – Zhang Changliang)

Zhang Changliang, a native of Yongzhou, Hunan Province, came to Dongguan for development in 2012 and has been here for ten years now.

In his previous work experience, Zhang Changliang, as a technical professional, often traveled extensively for project work and would stay away from home for as long as six months at a time—making him quite “unattached to home.” Later, after careful consideration of various factors including his personal career development plan, he chose to join Charoen Pokphand in May 2016 and has been with the company for more than five years now.

Zhang Changliang deeply understands that technical personnel, when working outside the office, serve as the organization’s very own calling card. That’s why he consistently applies his best service mindset to address customers’ needs. No matter how demanding the customer may be, he patiently explains things, collaborates closely to resolve issues, and follows up with customers throughout their subsequent use of the product or service.

From “Simple” to “Complex”: Enhancing Professional Competencies

When I first joined Zhengda, the most immediate change I noticed in my work was the increased technical complexity. Zhang Changliang said, “Before, when I worked at the switchgear factory, most of the projects I handled were related to papermaking and water treatment. The variable-frequency drives I used most often were ABB models with relatively simple programs. But after joining Zhengda and coming into contact with a wide variety of projects, I often felt that I lacked sufficient expertise in programming and GMC-related aspects. What left the deepest impression on me was encountering Siemens’ G120 VFD. At first, I found it the most challenging to tune because as soon as you input data, numerous parameters become interrelated, making the workload quite substantial. Plus, everything was in English, so the difficulty level was much higher than before.”

At that time, the company’s technical team didn’t yet have enough staff. As a newcomer, in order to get up to speed more effectively, Zhang Changliang communicated with his supervisor and managed to secure an opportunity to work closely alongside Siemens’ technical experts on the project. During this period, he made great efforts to thoroughly study Siemens programming logic, coding practices, and important considerations. “After working alongside them twice, I gradually became familiar with the process, and carrying out my tasks no longer felt so difficult,” Zhang Changliang said with a smile.

Project experience: Calm down and focus on doing your own job well.

The projects that Zhang Changliang was involved in early on at Zhengda remain vividly etched in his memory to this day. “At first, the client’s attitude toward us was rather cold—when we asked about data or technical details, they seemed completely clueless. Their requirements were also quite picky, and at one point, we even received a complaint.” Faced with this situation, Zhang Changliang and his colleagues felt quite frustrated. Yet, they candidly admitted, “We still had to get the job done. So for any information we didn’t understand, we’d ask our colleagues, dig through reference materials, and reach out to the manufacturer—verifying everything from multiple sources. We just kept our feet firmly on the ground and stayed focused on getting the work done without delaying the project schedule.” Later on, the client was won over; their attitude gradually softened, and whenever they ran into Zhang Changliang and his colleagues, they’d even offer them tea. Seeing this, Zhang Changliang and his colleagues couldn’t help but exchange knowing smiles.

“Looking back on this project now, I’m really grateful to the client,” said Zhang Changliang. “Although they were quite demanding, it really pushed us to think deeply about many issues and helped enhance our professional skills. As a result, when we took on other projects later on, we avoided many unnecessary detours.”

Another unforgettable experience was following up on a production-line project in Wuxi. The project involved a substantial workload, yet the company and the client together had only four technical personnel working on it. Overtime became extremely intense—often from nine in the morning until twelve at night. After a month of relentless effort, Zhang Changliang admitted that his own condition had deteriorated significantly; he felt both exhausted and easily agitated. On one occasion, when he heard a colleague start complaining again, he couldn't suppress his inner frustration and harshly criticized him. With a hint of embarrassment, Zhang Changliang continued, “Of course, our relationship has always been very good. Later, I invited him to dinner and apologized to him. After that, the entire project was successfully completed.”

He reflected on this experience, saying, “No matter how many tasks there are, when it comes to technical work, it’s crucial not to be impatient and to calm down and focus. Moreover, working on a project as a group is much more challenging than doing it alone, because everyone will have different perspectives. This calls for constant attention to interpersonal communication and emotional intelligence—only then can the project proceed smoothly. I still have room to improve in these areas.”

Strive for excellence in everything you do and mentor new team members effectively.

When asked by the interviewer whether he ever missed home while on business trips, Zhang Changliang replied, “Actually, it’s not that bad. First, whenever I have time, I go back to visit my family; second, even when I’m traveling alone, there’s always technical support from our clients, and we work and chat together—so the atmosphere is really great. Moreover, over the past two years, I’ve increasingly realized that everyone works as a team. For some projects, several people collaborate closely, which makes things even more lively.”

Speaking about his plans for the future, he said that the first priority is to do a good job in his current role. Over the past few years at the company, he’s learned a great deal—such as “the first instinct when encountering a problem is to analyze and solve it,” “if you don’t understand something, just ask your colleagues, consult relevant materials, or reach out to the manufacturer,” and “leading a team requires frequent communication to stay informed about everyone’s thoughts.” He himself needs to continue learning and improving in terms of both technical expertise and team communication skills.

Ou Zhirui, also from the Dasheng team, added: “Zhang Changliang’s attitude toward his work is well-known to everyone. Whether it’s his patient explanations when first meeting clients before starting a collaboration, or his meticulous service after the partnership begins—his dedication is evident in every aspect. Recently, while following up on the key client Ningde Ruiyi, Zhang Changliang took on the primary responsibility for program debugging. The on-site conditions were extremely challenging, and the business trip lasted over four months. Even more impressive was that, despite traveling with two newly hired interns, Zhang Changliang managed to both solve the client’s problems and provide guidance to the interns, ensuring that every detail was handled with care and precision.”

Editor's Note: As a technical professional, I’ve been tackling challenging technical problems and providing excellent customer service with dedication and care for many years. Having witnessed the company’s journey—from its early beginnings to its rapid growth today—I’ve also gained valuable experience and continued to improve myself!

Whether it’s Wang Qi’s “proactive and fearless in the face of setbacks” or Zhang Changliang’s “down-to-earth approach and dedication to serving customers,” both embody our commitment to steadily advancing step by step—a tradition that has been upheld for nearly 25 years—and are truly worthy of our learning and emulation.

The first installment of our exclusive interview has come to an end—let’s look forward to even more exciting insights in the second installment!