Leadership in manufacturing

Leadership in manufacturing: Leaving a legacy for the world to come

We have been speaking to our colleagues all over the world to find out about their driving forces, the essential reasons they’re with us and, of course, their personal mission and vision. Today, our spotlight is on Zheng Chen, an exemplary figure in manufacturing leadership who currently serves as the General Manager at ��˿�� Industrial Turbomachinery in Huludao, a city of 2.5 million in the northeastern province of Liaoning, China, located right at the West Bohai Sea. With a commitment to lean manufacturing, he joined ��˿�� in 2011 and has been excelling in his role for the past five years.

“After working as a CEO at a private company, where my role involved listing companies on the market, I had to make a significant decision about my career path. I had always known about ��˿�� because it was a major competitor in the industry,” Zheng begins, so we’re curious to hear about his transition to the group. “I found them to be especially well organized, following the same processes and procedures efficiently. This is something that appealed to me a lot. Ultimately, I can say it made me join ��˿�� then and there,” he adds.

In our chat over Teams, we learn that Zheng is a highly skilled professional when it comes to vital business topics like strategy and leadership, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing. Having worked as a general manager in the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization as well as machine manufacturing, it quickly becomes clear that he wants to be an active part of what he does. He undeniably wants his job to be a full-blown hands-on experience where he can create a legacy. “As the general manager leading factories, I enjoy the freedom to shape up the factories the way I envision, unlike before where I was just part of a large organization with a rigid framework. It energizes me to implement what I learned in business school, not just theoretically but practically. Additionally, overcoming challenges like digitalization and witnessing the successful outcomes brings me motivation,” he elaborates.

General Manager Zheng Chen Holding a Safety Moment as Part of Our Zero Harm Initiative

As we want to find out more about Zheng’s daily business, he explains the way his team works, and which disciplines he collaborates with primarily in his role as general manager. “A typical day for me starts at the factory around 8:30 a.m. First of all, I change into safety shoes and my work overall. There’s a daily meeting at 9:00 a.m. to discuss all urgent information and issues about the factory. This meeting can last up to an hour, but it’s something I never skip. After that, I talk to the staffs on the shop floor to get a sense of any urgent needs or support they might require. This kind of direct interaction is crucial for me to break down hierarchies and ensure everyone feels they can approach me – it’s what true leadership in manufacturing means for me. Then I head back to the office for business meetings, a mix of domestic and international connections. The best part of my day? Quite frankly, it’s always the first part, when I’m on the shop floor and in real-life interaction with my team,” he explains, “I aim to be present and approachable. I show them I’m right there, we work as one. That’s what #TeamPurple is frankly all about, its spirit is visibly evolving anywhere you look within the company.��

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Zheng says he sees unity and team spirit among his people as a proof of concept for the successful communication of #TeamPurple within our group. So, we inquire about the culture in general – how does one make it work? “The company culture at ��˿�� is highly process-oriented, well-organized, and, first and foremost, supportive," he replies.��

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What stands out the most to me is how the company treats its employees and the positive atmosphere that is cultivated here. It’s a very valuable environment to work in.

“I’m highly committed to leaving a legacy behind in the factory. For me, growth is evident when looking at the improvements made over the last five years. We kicked off our vast digitalization journey four years ago, and I am proud that our factories are ahead of many others inside and outside of China.”

“By implementing the digital system for our factories, we have advanced significantly. Our products, especially our compressors, play a vital role in energy transformation and emission reduction,” Zheng adds. When asked about his flagship projects, he envisions a future-forward sustainability and education hub in Huludao – open to the public: “��˿�� is leading in tackling the energy transition. So, we have found a really special way to put the topic in the spotlight even more: we are currently in the process of expanding our digital center. We aim to rename it to an intelligent digitalization center and open it to public visitors, which is good for promotion, but especially for education to high school and college students. This beacon will showcase our progress and has become a point of pride – even for the local government.” No doubt will this shape Zheng's legacy as a forward-thinking manufacturing leader, driving positive transformation in the energy industry.

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