Humble heart a cornerstone of success
Print Edition
Laimu Electronics is so low-key that it has no website, no social media page. The only information to be found about it on the Internet is very brief company introduction and some recruitment information.
The company sells electronic components it develops to cell phone and automobile giants like Apple, Nokia and Mercedes-Benz. Annual revenue last year was more than 100 million yuan (US$16 million).
The company’s muted response to self-promotion reflects the style of its president, Zhu Xin’ai.
Born in Hengyang, central China’s Hunan Province, she started the company with an investment of 500,000 yuan a decade ago. Her focus has been on stable growth, not on strutting her achievements.
Zhu, 46, was recently honored as one of Minhang’s Leading Talents, which helped her obtain government financial aid and further education opportunities.
“What has been supporting me and the company is a big heart,” she said. “There is never too much heart to put in a company.”
Settling in Minhang
Zhu came to Minhang in 2003. After graduating from university in 1989, with a major in machine manufacturing, she managed to get together the money needed to start her own business. She drove from Hengyang all the way up to Shanghai, stopping when she reached Qibao Town.
“It’s too expensive to start a company in the downtown area,” she said. “Here, we can still attract personnel and capital, so that’s where I decided to locate my business.”
Electric couplers are the main products of Laimu. Demand is so keen that Zhu expanded production with a plant in the Songjiang District, but the company’s headquarters remain in Qibao.
“Many district governments have invited me to move my company there, with many incentives thrown in, of course,” she said. “But I choose to stay in Minhang because I’ve been here for years and I’m reluctant to be part with the place.”
Zhu’s business strategy has moved the company from an original equipment manufacturer to development and sales of its own products.
When Laimu first entered the market, there was no “made-in-China” electric coupler on the market. The research and development team she assembled in 2006 broke new ground. It has been a hard, uphill battle.
For the first several years, it wasn’t unusual for her to spend hours and even days on end in the factory workshop.
Personal contact with customers has been a hallmark of the company. Zhu likes to hear what clients have to say. She always delivers samples in persons, not disclosing to customers that she is actually president of the company in order to encourage frank feedback.
“Clients certainly let me know if our products aren’t up to scratch,” she said. “Every time customers complain about something, I take it to heart and see to it the problems are corrected. Criticism is a good avenue for a fast learning curve.”
Rapid Growth
Zhu’s research and development team now numbers 200. She said she is especially proud that Laimu products have been embraced by so many multinational customers who demand high-quality components.
“Now every year, our couplers are used in billions of cell phones,” Zhu said. “A high-profile vehicle may have five of our couplers in it. I can say they compose the neutral center of a car.”
Zhu carefully nurtures her staff. She said it is important to make employees feel like they have a stake in the future of the company.
“We want them to feel that they can learn as much here as they could if they went overseas,” she said. “We encourage self-development, and that leads to company loyalty.”
It’s gratifying, she said, to see employees buy apartments and cars, making a commitment to stay in the area, raise families and thrive.
“If I was just interested in making money and nothing else, I could have retired and be traveling around,” she said. “But I really love my company and its employees. I want to stay with them as long as possible.”
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