<strong>China: STMA Chief Inspects Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery</strong>

Source from:  Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd.  01/16/2014

Director-General Ling Chengxing of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) led a delegation to inspect Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. in north China's Hebei Province on December 30-31, 2013, visiting production facilities and giving instructions on future business development.

The delegation also included STMA Deputy Director-General Zhao Hongshun.

During the inspection on the first day, Ling particularly emphasized: "We must set up the great ambition and lofty aspiration to narrow down the gap of research, development and manufacturing between us and transnational tobacco machinery manufacturing giants. If we wish to narrow down the gap, it absolutely will not do to follow a conventional speed of development. Instead, we need to speed up at the curve, in order to realize great leap forward in development within a shortest possible period of time."

On the second day of the inspection, Ling led the delegation to visit sites of production and manufacturing at Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. The delegation members frequently stopped at joint-venture production lines and experimental production lines, elaborately asking about the situation of cooperation between Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. and Hauni of Germany, and the situation of trial production of segment-based leaf tobacco curing machines.

Ling elaborately heard work reports given by Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. Board of Directors Chairman Guo Dongqing. From time to time, Ling would interrupt the reports by asking questions he cared one by one. In particular, Ling expressed concerns about the cooperation between Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. and Ganzhou Leaf Tobacco Redrying Factory in solving hard problems in developing technologies for dust removal and reduction, research and development of new technologies applicable on the leaf tobacco cutting line.

Ling said that what Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. has impressed him most are a major breakthrough made by the enterprise and its leading status in three respects.

The major breakthrough refers to the one made by Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. in promoting its development to higher levels. Besides, Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. has also made breakthrough in terms of fulfillment of the project of its relocation and technological transformation, cooperation with Hauni, enhancement of its equipment capacity, improvement of the professional quality of its human resources, improvement of its economic efficiency, etc. The leading status in three respects refers to the one gradually established by Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. in the tobacco machinery manufacturing industry in terms of manufacturing leaf tobacco cutting equipment, leaf tobacco threshing and redrying equipment and cut tobacco expansion equipment.

Ling said that presently, the tobacco machinery manufacturing industry is striving to meet three major targets and fulfill five exclusive subjects, including the exclusive subject of "going global" in business development. For Chinese tobacco machinery manufacturing enterprises, it means to set up the great ambition and lofty aspiration to narrow down the gap of research, development and manufacturing between them and transnational tobacco machinery manufacturing giants.

"It is essential to find out where we have lagged behind by means of benchmarking. Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. is directly affiliated to China Tobacco Machinery Group Co., Ltd. Therefore, it needs to bring itself in line with international standards and strive to solve hard problems in developing leading technologies. In particular, in terms of mechanical-electrical integration, we have vast potential. Our general capacity of producing leaf tobacco cutting lines is not bad. However, we still lag behind in terms of crucial equipment. Since Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. has entered into cooperation with Hauni, what we need to do presently is to exert great efforts to catch up with and surpass advanced world levels in this regard," Ling noted.

Ling pointed out that a task of Chinese tobacco machinery manufacturing enterprises over a next period of time is to realize breakthrough in research and development. If we wish to narrow down the gap, the only way out for us is just to realize great leap forward in development. What Chinese tobacco machinery manufacturing enterprises need to do presently is to target several landmarks and exert great efforts to realize great leap forward as early as possible, according to the STMA chief.

Zhao also made comments, saying that as Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. assumes the mission of providing equipment for the tobacco industry of China, it is of a unique status and role.

"Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. is in the most important position for developing three leading core technologies – the technology for leaf tobacco cutting, the technology for leaf tobacco threshing and redrying and the technology for cut tobacco expansion," Zhao said.

He required Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. to enhance its awareness about marketing; set up the conception about competition; enhance its awareness about innovation; innovate models for human resources management, foreign cooperation and scientific-technological research; enhance its awareness about strengthening of study; make a use of the opportunity of cooperation with Hauni; shorten the period of time for introduction of technologies by all means; shorten the process of cooperation; enhance its awareness about service provision; and increase customer satisfaction.

Those accompanying the STMA leaders on the inspection included STMA General Office Director Zhang Xiulian and Development and Planning Department Director Qin Qianhao, General Manager Duan Tieli of China Tobacco Hebei Industrial Co., Ltd., General Manager Qian Jiang of Hebei Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Administration, and Wang Jianfa with China Tobacco Machinery Group Co., Ltd. Enditem