A story that old engineer Zheng often hangs on his lips

Zheng is the chief engineer of Guangzhou Three Industry Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "three industries"). Zheng Family Brothers Three in the 90 's into the sea together founded the technology company, mainly engaged in fire pumps, emergency intelligent diesel engine and other types of technology products.

Operating a technology innovation-led technology companies are not easy, regardless of the need for research and development of the big investment, new products in the promotion process encountered in the three brothers are the most anxious. And these problems are to a certain extent China's small and medium-sized technology companies face the common confusion and frustration.

Government procurement problems

One of the frustration is: three products, the U.S. company bought after the Chinese companies dare to buy.

Often when it comes to how companies first open the domestic market, Zheng is always excited. He told the "First financial daily" reporter, the current three industry products have been sold to the country's major airports, and at the beginning, the domestic airport can not accept a private enterprise production products. Three industries and Guangzhou Baiyun Airport talked about many times, the airport also recognized its technology, but for the sake of insurance, still insist on the procurement of U.S. products. Transit appeared in the United States an airline after several bidding comparisons, the final choice of three industries, after the three industry products as if knocking open the door of major domestic airlines.

In addition to the difficulty of obtaining corporate recognition, the lack and obsolescence of government-related standards is also Zheng's most vexing problem.

This type of technology company, like the three industries, often produces innovative products. For example, after the Wenchuan earthquake, a batch of pumps in the warehouse for two years was pulled to the scene emergency, but was found to be unable to use the battery. Zheng from then on to do a special emergency rescue design of the pump, this pump does not rely on batteries, and rely on spring machinery power generation. Warranty period, put into any harsh environment can be used.

The new product will be done soon, but how to promote it? Zheng told the newspaper, emergency rescue products are a large part of the government to buy, and the government to buy reference standards, but the current standards are often very "old", new products often can not meet those "old" standards.

For example, for emergency rescue products, the maintenance of simple, long warranty, easy to use, can be used in bad conditions are necessary factors. But at present, Zheng can not find any one of the centralized management of the government agencies to the emergency rescue products procurement set a standard. "How do we compare the general pump with the water pump that we can smoke?" Zheng said the government bid was competitive with technology and different technologies could not bid.

Zheng Sigh, although the product developed, but the road behind is more difficult than research and development. If not promoted in time, many similar products will come out. Even if a patent has been applied, it is not a good way to protect the new product.

On the way to snatch government orders, three industries were forced to play the role of counterfeiters. Zheng told this newspaper, Shenzhen, a company every year, and later by Zheng and other people investigation, the company's tenders exist fraud, after the report, the company can not tender for several years. But the company has left its mark on the bids of many government agencies. Many local governments ' bidding standards are determined by reference to the company's written bids. When Zheng with these government agencies, the staff of these institutions often tell him: "It was done before, unreasonable and no way to change, we do not understand." ”

This is also the current government procurement in the general situation. Prior to an LED industry association's head told this newspaper, local governments in setting industry standards or procurement standards often rely on a number of leading enterprises, and these enterprises in the development of standards will inevitably make the action to protect their own interests. This sets the threshold for other businesses to enter the market.

Many companies that have dealt with the government have had similar spits on the limits of government buying.

In Guangzhou this year, a representative of the Hua Da Fund said that they developed a new technology for prenatal diagnosis, compared with traditional technology, lower cost accuracy is higher, but the new technology in the promotion encountered many obstacles, the existing pattern of interest is difficult to break.

Another representative from a medical device manufacturer said their products would rather be sold overseas, because the overseas market environment is simpler, and the domestic government procurement is fastidious about the relationship, there are too many unspoken rules, so can only seek the help of agents.

The representative pointed out that many of the problems of grassroots government procurement, for example, the government is mostly bulk procurement, procurement is too large, not even used to buy, and usually take the lowest price of the winning way, this way so that the winning enterprise profit reduction, inevitably cut corners or part of the adulteration.

Financial pressure

Capital investment is not a small pressure on the technology-oriented enterprises.

In spite of these years, three industries have also been getting some government-sponsored science and technology projects, the government funded half of the enterprise investment, combined up more than 2 million. But this is clearly a drop in the bucket.

Zheng Jianwei, deputy general manager of the three industries told the newspaper, the three industries each year in research and development investment accounted for 8% of the turnover, last year, three industries have 29 million turnover, means that only last year, three industries in research and development investment in more than 2.3 million.

This industry currently popular "091" settlement method also let three industry and other engineering equipment manufacturers face not small capital pressure.

Zheng Jianwei told this newspaper, "091" in the "0" refers to the lack of advance, "9" refers to the delivery after 90% payment, "1" refers to a year after the remaining 10% payment. As a result, Zheng Jianwei says, the cost of production is paid for by itself, making equipment suppliers feel pressured.

In addition, the project is far less good than it was in the past two years due to the economic environment, which has spread to engineering equipment vendors. Zheng Jianwei says most of the customers are now in installments on the project schedule. The project's general contractor takes the project, buys the equipment from the equipment merchant, then completes a period to pay part of the equipment, is equal to transfer the fund risk to the equipment supplier.

Guangzhou three office in charge of the director said, for science and technology enterprises, product sales must be combined with technology promotion to do.

Guangdong Province, a representative of the National People's Congress also disclosed to the newspaper, there was a company to give him a legislative proposal, hope that through the NPC legislation to promote their own enterprise product sales.

This means that the three industries and other technology companies in the promotion of their products and technology still have a lot of road to go.

Despite all the difficulties, Zheng is still very optimistic about the prospect of his emergency industry. He told the newspaper that in the United States, the value of the fire industry accounted for only 10% of the entire emergency industry, while in China, the value of fire products accounted for 90% of the entire emergency industry. This means that in addition to fire fighting, there are many related industries in the emergency industry that can be developed.