Chen Helin's Road to Entrepreneurship

Hard-working road, non-stick pot with the light of hope.

As the saying goes, no coincidence is a book. There is also a story about Chen Helin's persistence in non-stick pan.

In the late 1980s, at an exhibition in Beijing, Chen Helin came across the non-stick pan, which was the first time that foreign non-stick pans entered the China market. At that time, there were no domestic enterprises producing non-stick pans. Non-stick pan is non-stick, non-paste, easy to wash, easy to clean, non-toxic and tasteless when cooking, and has become the new favorite of the cooker industry. In foreign countries, non-stick technology, as a new trend in the development of cooker industry, is triggering a kitchen revolution with the theme of environmental protection and health. Chen Helin, who just started to run a pot factory, was ecstatic about the arrival of the non-stick pot era. He saw a glimmer of hope in the era of non-stick pan. A bold idea suddenly flashed into his mind: non-stick pans were first produced in China.

But there is no manufacturer of non-stick pan in China, where can I learn the technology of producing non-stick pan?

Where there is a will, there is a way. After coming back from the Beijing exhibition, the first thing Chen Helin has to do is to inquire whether there are any enterprises in China that use non-stick technology to produce products. After many inquiries, he learned from a director of Shanghai Enamel Factory that a military enterprise in Guiyang is applying non-stick technology to produce military products. That night, Chen Helin boarded a long-distance bus from Wenling to Guiyang.

After a few days of trekking, I finally found a military enterprise located in a ravine in Guiyang.

Military enterprises are heavily guarded. How can you blend in like a farmer? Chen Helin was at a loss in this strange place. He tried to enter through the gate, but the doorman turned him away with suspicion. But Chen Helin didn't give up. He made a heart: "since I'm here, I can't go back empty-handed." He is full of Wenling people's spirit of "not afraid of hardship". If you don't go in, I'll wait outside. He simply stayed in a small hotel near the arsenal for a week, staring at the employees of military enterprises who come in and out every day, hoping to find a doorway from them. Everything comes to him who waits. After many twists and turns, he finally got in touch with the vice president of a military enterprise through his relationship.

A few days later, Chen Helin returned to his hometown of Wenling to learn the technology of making non-stick pan. Who knows, this year's output value has actually reached more than 3 million yuan. After hearing the news, Xinhua News Agency reporters came to interview and take photos.

Astar's non-stick pan products have been well received by consumers since they were put on the market. 1997 sales of ASD non-stick pans reached more than 60 million yuan.

Chen Helin is the first person in China to apply the advanced non-stick pan technology in the world to produce non-stick pan. While producing non-stick pans, he turned his attention to the field of pressure cookers. Chen Helin found Shenyang Shuangxi, the leader in the domestic pressure cooker field at that time, and became a partner, so he quickly mastered the manufacturing technology of pressure cookers.

The safety of pressure cooker is an eternal theme. Chen Helin organized technicians to focus on safety, and at the same time took the lead in adopting streamlined design to improve production packaging. 1June, 1998, Chen Helin took the lead in introducing Astar VI insurance pressure cooker in China, which became the safest pressure cooker in China at that time. In the second half of this year, ASD's pressure cooker actually sold 60 million.

Four or two kilos, 2 million shakes 20 million.

From scratch, from small to large, every step forward has the crystallization of Chen Helin's efforts and wisdom. In the late 1980s, when the company started the non-stick pan project, faced with only 2 million original accumulation and 20 million technical renovation funds, when his family tried to dissuade him and people generally thought that he committed suicide, Chen Helin always believed that an enterprise could be invincible for a long time only by constantly carrying out technical renovation, developing products, reducing costs and improving quality. As a result, Chen Helin recruited industry talents everywhere, led all employees of the company to work hard, completed the construction of the factory and the installation of equipment in just five months, and produced the first non-stick pan of private enterprises in China. As soon as the product was put on the market, it became the darling of the market because of its beautiful shape and novel design, which gradually changed the kitchen cooking history of China people.

There is another well-known story about Chen Helin's recruiting talents. When he went to Guiyang ravine to inquire about the application of non-stick technology, he met the vice president of that military enterprise. After returning, Chen Helin tried every means to "dig" the vice president. Chen Helin visited the cottage and finally invited the vice president with a high salary of 50 thousand at that time. After arriving in Wenling, the vice president became Chen Helin's arm and played a key role in standardizing enterprises, technological transformation and sales network.

Chen Helin, who tasted the sweetness, made persistent efforts. In a short period of more than ten years, he invested 50 million yuan in technical transformation, which also made the enterprise jump from a little-known factory in the cookware industry to a vanguard in the domestic cookware industry. Especially in 200 1, after carefully analyzing the international and domestic markets, Chen Helin thinks that after China joins the World Trade Organization, the world manufacturing base will be transferred to China, and the cookware industry will face a golden opportunity. He resolutely invested 300 million yuan in technical transformation, requisitioned 350 mu of land in Wenling Economic Development Zone, introduced the world's most advanced kitchen utensils production equipment, and carried out an old factory transformation with an original area of only 28 mu. At present, the development of the international cookware industry further proves that Chen Helin's decision at that time was forward-looking. The development of the new factory provided a venue for the leap of ASD, and also made brilliant contributions to Chen Helin's "pot king" cause.

Seize the commanding heights and expand the domestic market

Although Chen Helin has never been a soldier, he knows the military term "seizing the commanding heights".

1999 10, Chen Helin turned his attention to Anlu City, Xiaogan, Hubei Province. He bought the state-owned screen window factory in Anlu in one fell swoop and transformed it into Anlu pressure cooker factory, becoming the first local private enterprise to acquire state-owned enterprises. Chen Helin's action caused a sensation in Hubei Province, and Hubei Daily published the news on the front page. Then, Chen Helin made great efforts to acquire five state-owned enterprises, including Anlu State-owned Aluminum Factory and State-owned Steel Factory. Chen Helin takes Anlu, Hubei Province as the domestic material supply base, and produces aluminum plates locally, with an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons. Chen Helin reorganized six state-owned enterprises in Anlu, and arranged more than 2,000 laid-off workers and migrant workers in Hubei to find jobs, becoming the first local taxpayer.

Attacking Shanghai is an important step for Chen Helin to export. He bought a floor of 2,000 square meters in Nansen Building, an important business district on the Bund in Shanghai, and set up a marketing center and a design and planning center. Through this window, products are sold all over the world.

While taking Hubei as the raw material supply base, Chen Helin took Wenling as the export base, and in 2006, he bought the original Wenling Jiangxia Canning Factory as a whole, making it a production base of parts in the cookware industry.

Up to now, ASD has set up 50 branches all over the country and branches abroad.

In the fierce commercial war, Chen Helin keenly felt the charm of international supermarket chains, and the second commanding height he wanted to occupy was the international supermarket chains. 1996, Jia Fule opened its first branch in China, and Chen Helin was the first to introduce Astar non-stick pan products into this supermarket. By 2000, Chen Helin had put his products into the China market of internationally renowned supermarkets such as Wal-Mart and Metro. Since 2004, Chen Helin's ASD non-stick pan products have been included in the global supermarket procurement system.

30 days is a day, from zero to $654.38+million.

"No internal instability, no external weakness" is Chen Helin's enterprise development philosophy. Before 2000, ASD's products were limited to China. How to open the international market is a brand-new subject for him who has no foreign trade talents and knows nothing about the international market.

Only by going out can we find opportunities. 1999 In the second half of the year, Chen Helin learned from Wenling Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau that there was an international household goods fair in Chicago, USA. The opportunity has finally come, Chen Helin. For the first time, he took four gift packages full of non-stick pot samples and participated in the Expo with a delegation organized by the government. This is also the first step of ASD export.

At this Expo, the samples he brought attracted the interest of the purchasing staff of Newway, the world's largest cooker company. After the Expo, Newway Company of the United States sent experts to China, and made a serious inspection of ASD enterprises. Seeing the dilapidated factory buildings and crowded production lines at that time, American businessmen thought that ASD could not meet the requirements of the United States in terms of production scale, production equipment and other conditions, but gave Chen Helin a product with great technical difficulties, which generally took three months to complete the sample proofing. "We are willing to cooperate with ASD, but please produce two qualified samples within 30 days." Newway company personnel said. As an expert in cookware industry, Chen Helin knew that the United States intended to test him, but in order to prove the ability of Astor and China people, Chen Helin gritted his teeth and agreed to the requirements of the United States: "Good! Ensure that the samples are delivered within 30 days. "

30 days is just a moment in the long history. Chen Helin regards 30 days as one day. During these 30 days, Chen Helin, together with all the technicians of the company, moved the bed to the workshop day and night, drank mineral water when he was thirsty and ate instant noodles when he was hungry. In these 30 days, from the selection of materials, the design of drawings to the development of molds, they were careful and meticulous, and after many failures, they finally produced qualified products on the last day. Perhaps China's tenacity moved Americans, perhaps Astor's professionalism moved Americans. The American Newweigong Sima placed an order, and when it bought Astor that year, it reached100000 USD. In this way, Chen Helin got the first porridge. Since then, Danneway's customers have purchased more than 40 million dollars in Astor every year, and 60% of neway's non-stick pan products sold all over the world are provided by Astor.

At present, ASD company grows at an annual export rate of 40%, from the original Newway company in the United States to more than 300 customers and more than 40 countries and regions.

In 2008, the sales revenue was 65.438+75.3 million yuan, the foreign exchange earned by export was 65.438+34 million dollars, and the tax paid was 65.438+34 million yuan. In 2009, we overcame the impact of the international financial crisis, achieving sales revenue of 654.38+567 billion yuan, foreign exchange earned by export of 654.38+600 million dollars, and tax profit of 654.38+800 million yuan. The domestic market share of ASD non-stick cookers and pressure cookers ranks among the best among peers, and the foreign trade export ranks first in the same industry in China. The national tax ranks among the top taxpayers in Zhejiang Province for several consecutive years.

Give me a drop of water, and I will repay the society with a clear spring.

Chen Helin, who was born in poverty, did not forget the public welfare cause after he started his own factory to become rich.

Chen Helin often said: "Enterprises can achieve today's scale, first of all, we must thank the party's policies and social support. Today, our company has developed and should repay the society. " Under the support of this concept, Chen Helin not only runs the enterprise in good faith, but also actively participates in various social welfare undertakings. Since the establishment of the enterprise, Chen Helin has donated 600,000 yuan to Wenling Charity Federation, 200,000 yuan to Taizhou Charity Federation, invested 360,000 yuan to establish Ashida Hope Primary School in Anlu, Hubei Province, and donated 200,000 yuan to Hope Primary School in poverty-stricken areas such as Shaanxi Province, and donated 1 10,000 yuan to Wenling's new rural construction, Wenling's social development and cultural and educational undertakings. According to statistics, since Chen Helin started his business, * * * has donated more than100000 yuan to public welfare undertakings. After the Wenchuan earthquake in May 12, 2008, he immediately launched the company to donate more than 770,000 yuan to the disaster area. It has accumulated more than 800 million yuan in tax revenue for the country and provided more than 5,000 jobs for the society.