“This year coincided with the 40th anniversary of Dongfeng Construction. The Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle, which was the birthplace of Dongfeng Motor and the main force, also celebrated its 40th anniversary. Therefore, at this Shanghai Auto Show, we not only showcased our products but also adopted the “past, present and futureâ€. The main line shows the development history of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles for 40 years and confidence and technology for the future.†On April 19th, at the eve of the 7th International Car Demonstration in Shanghai, Deputy General Manager Dongfeng, Dongfeng Limited Vice President and Dongfeng Commercial Tong Dongcheng, the general manager of the car company, briefed the reporter on the situation and development of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles during an exclusive interview with our reporter.
From the deep hill "East Wind"
In 1964, according to the needs of national economic development and national defense construction at the time, Chairman Mao Zedong decided decisively: “It is time to build a second automobile factory!†In September 1969, the first of two steam (Dongfeng Motor Company) started construction in Shiyan, Hubei Province. It has opened up the development of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle for 40 years.
In the Shiyan town deep in the Qinba Mountains, the construction and living materials of the early construction and living materials were all moved by people to the mountains. The production and living conditions were very difficult. The Dongfeng entrepreneurs lived in the Luxi Shed, spotlighted the lanterns, and produced cars in the simple "Daiji" plant.
At the initial stage of construction, the primary task of the company was to produce military SUVs. However, by the late 1970s, the shadow of war was gradually receding. The production capacity of tens of thousands of vehicles of the Second Automobile Co., Ltd. could not be digested domestically, and the production capacity of 5-ton civilian vehicles was also There is no construction work, there are infrastructure tasks and there are tens of millions of “planned losses†each year. In 1978, two steam companies bravely put forward the slogan of "turning losses and increasing profits," and started the "turning up the quality of products, building a five-ton truck production capacity, and producing 5,000 five-ton vehicles and throwing off loss-making hats." At the end of the year, the output of the 2120 units of the 2nd steam engine of the second-generation company was not only for the first time in history but also not for the state's subsidies. It also paid a profit of 2.79 million yuan to the country. Huang Zhengxia, who was then the director of the Second Automobile Works, later said in his memoir, "The Hard Course": "The increase in losses in 1978 was of great significance to the construction and development of the two steam companies. It encouraged the morale of the cadres and masses. It won two or three years for the company to welcome reform and opening up, and won the initiative for the future development."
In 1979, the state began to adjust its national economy and listed it as a "stop and postpone construction" project. The two-cycle vehicle that had just turned into a deficit and increased profits faced a difficult time again. Faced with the severe situation, the decision-makers of the Auto Group made a report to the relevant state departments and the State Council on “reconciliation of income, self-raised funds, and the continuation of the construction of the Auto Group†and received approval. From then on, the company has embarked on an arduous road of relying on its own efforts and connotative development. By 1985, the company had completed a production capacity of 100,000 vehicles and completed the task of resuming the construction of the first two years ahead of schedule. Not only did it not need a single penny for the country, it also equated to an increase of 390 million yuan in state investment in fixed assets and paid 420 million yuan in taxes. More importantly, it also produced 350,000 high-quality cars.
In the mid to late 1990s, in the process of transition from a planned economy to a market economy, Dongfeng, like most state-owned enterprises, fell into the dilemma of “turning its head out of shipâ€. At this critical moment, in May 1999, Comrade Jiang Zemin personally visited the east wind and in person wrote the inscription “Carrying Forward the Entrepreneurship and Reshaping the Eastâ€, which greatly inspired the passion of the Dongfeng people. On July 1, 1999, Dongfeng Truck Company was established and Dongfeng heavy-duty commercial vehicles began to break through. By 2001, the truck company sold 121,300 vehicles, realized a profit of 800 million yuan, completed 130% of the plan, and achieved record-high results. In that year, the trucking company achieved five major achievements in its operation: production and sales volume increased significantly, market share steadily rebounded, product technology content continued to increase, and added value increased year after year; adherence to lean production led to a further increase in the level of balanced production; significant reduction in costs was achieved. The ability to regulate and control business activities has been strengthened; employees' ideas and concepts have undergone major changes, and their mental outlook has taken a new look. Since then, Dashan's "East Wind" not only "blows up" all over the country, but also "blows" it to the world.
Sword out of Wudang
Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle was built in the depths of the Qinba Mountains and is located at the foot of Wudang Mountain. It is an outstanding place. Since the construction, Dongfeng people have continued to carry forward the “Mudang spirit†and tried their best to improve the company’s internal strength and “move out of Wudang to the worldâ€.
On July 8, 2003, on the basis of the original Dongfeng truck company, Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. integrated Dongfeng Motor Corporation's original Dongfeng Liuzhou Automobile Co., Ltd., Dongfeng Xinjiang Automobile Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. and other new forces, creating Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. Commercial vehicle companies started a new journey for Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles.
On May 18, 2006, Dongfeng Tianlong released a new generation of heavy-duty trucks from Dongfeng. Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles strategically advanced into the heavy truck market. After the launch of Dongfeng Tianlong, it quickly grew and sold more than 40,000 vehicles in 2008, becoming a benchmark for the domestic heavy truck market. On April 18, 2008, after Dongfeng Tianjin listing Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd., Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd. completed the upgrade of its heavy duty truck product platform. Driven by the powerful new products, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd. sold 187,470 vehicles in 2008 and fulfilled the challenge in an extremely difficult market environment. Dongfeng Heavy Trucks continued to be the industry leader.
After the joint venture between Dongfeng and Nissan, as the birthplace and main force of the Dongfeng business, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Company shoulders the historical responsibility of carrying forward Dongfeng brand, inheriting Dongfeng culture, developing Dongfeng business, and stabilizing Shiyan base. During the past five years, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd. has undergone profound and dramatic changes and has made considerable progress in development: its R&D capabilities have been strengthened; its brand reputation has been significantly improved; its business management level has been continuously improved; its operating quality has continued to improve; and its overseas business has steadily progressed. New business growth points; major strategic projects are steadily advancing, and development stamina continues to increase. More importantly, in the joint venture practice, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Company has cultivated a large number of outstanding management talents with strong learning and execution capabilities, international thinking, professionalism and loyalty to the Dongfeng commercial vehicle business. Consciousness, quality consciousness, and learning awareness have also been greatly enhanced. These “people†with tremendous changes have become the most valuable asset for corporate development.
Ambitions move forward
In the future, where does the Dongfeng commercial vehicle sword point? This is a matter of great concern to Dongfeng people. Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd. will further consolidate its development base under the guidance of the “China's No. 1 and the world’s top 3†business dreams, and continuously enhance and seek new competitive advantages. In the industry, we have taken the lead in completing the upgrading of the product structure of medium and heavy trucks, facing the market and customers with new product images and product features, expanding overseas markets, and increasing overseas sales; professional and independent R&D talents have been continuously trained and expanded.
On May 28 last year, Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. released the 13 plan (2008-2012 mid-term business plan) in Beijing. According to the plan, Dongfeng Motor will sell 1 million cars in 2012, achieving sales revenue of 100 billion yuan, and Become a trusted company through cultural integration. Among them, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd. will further improve the Dongfeng Tianlong and Dongfeng Tianjin product lines to meet the needs of diversified markets and realize the goal of “China Firstâ€. In the future, the objective of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles is to lock in "China's first, the world's top three."
To this end, in this new journey, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles must make every effort to upgrade the three major capabilities: to control market capacity, improve efficiency, and enhance value. In the next five years, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd. will make breakthroughs in strengthening the market's driving ability as an important task. We must work together to effectively improve the functional efficiency in the three key areas of market research, product planning and product response through the efficient “Iron Triangle†cooperation. In order to absorb market risks in advance and achieve stable and sustainable development of production and operation. The goal is to make it happen, no matter how volatile the external market is, and how internal products change, we must make the overall situation of the company's business go to court, and the business is evergreen.
"'China No. 1 and the world's top three' are our strategic dreams. We will build a leading domestic and world-leading product technology platform through the implementation of key strategies such as product, quality, brand, and marketing, and establish an industry-leading position. Our competitive advantage will be based on domestic and global perspectives, and will reach the leading level in domestic and foreign markets from three aspects of market position, brand influence and operating profit rate, and strive to develop into an internationally attractive, trustworthy and sustainable development. Commercial vehicle company." Tong Dongcheng full of confidence.