Tianwei Supplies He Liangmei: Entrepreneurship 30 years to sell to 120 countries

"The current supply industry competition pattern is more disorderly, in addition to price confusion, infringement of the original patent situation is also more, in addition, there are counterfeit supplies." "A strong Hong Kong-style Mandarin He Liangmei Quite reluctantly told the Financial weekly reporter.　　After 50 years of He Liangmei, although the temples are white, but the small eyes behind the frame is pressing.　　He Liangmei in love with running, every week will take the time to run two or three times, just like he is very focused on printing supplies, the twinkling of an eye to do 30 years. From the sale of office stationery and supplies products began, He Liangmei keenly discovered the supply industry business opportunities, in 1988, he formally set up his own factory in Zhuhai.　　At that time, only more than 10 workers and a 300 square meters of venues to produce their own brand ribbons, today, the factory has developed to have more than 3,000 workers, including toner cartridges, ink cartridges, ribbons, printing media, such as 9 major categories of tens of thousands of dollars, the annual sales of nearly 2 billion yuan of companies, and the annual rate of about 10% growth.　　More than 20 years ago, China's supplies industry has just started, He Liangmei is China's first batch of supplies manufacturers, although in the groping forward, but he led the Tianwei is constantly creating the industry's "first."　　1990, in the domestic consumable industry, Tianwei first in foreign branch; As of now, Tianwei has registered and applied for domestic and foreign patents nearly 2000, is the most patented general-purpose supplies enterprises, far ahead of other peers; to 9 categories of tens of thousands of products and production calculation, Tianwei has become the world's largest general-purpose supplies manufacturers. At present, Tianwei Sales network all over the world, has been in the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Canada, Russia and other countries set up sales companies or outlets, products are exported to more than 120 countries, mainly through 600 or so large distributor agent; The domestic active dealers have more than 1000, in addition,　　Tianwei also through the network channels to improve product visibility, to help dealers sales. According to the Frankfurt exhibition Company's latest published "Chinese Culture Office Supplies market research Report" shows: Office supplies brand concentration is relatively high, and Hewlett-Packard, Canon, Epson these three office supplies brand in all scale enterprises basically occupy the top three position, ranked fourth for the brothers, Tianwei ranked fifth, about 4.45　　% of the market share.　　Foreign brands firmly occupy the top four of the supplies industry, He Liangmei with his nearly 30 years of adherence to the top five, for Chinese enterprises occupy a place.　　Advertising on New York's led screens will often quickly become a bellwether for global trade. "I think these two years are the most difficult two years of my business.　　Heliang Meira Low Voice, frankly told the Financial weekly reporter. He's really busy recently and has to work overtime with all the staff on weekends.　　They are in the 6th 2012 China (Zhuhai) International printing supplies exhibition to do the final sprint, the world's largest printing supplies industry exhibition, is undoubtedly the best brand publicity window.　　In addition to actively participate in all kinds of supplies exhibition, He Liangmei more will Tianwei brand image pushed to the international arena. This January, He Liangmei published an environmental advertisement on the LED screen of New York Times Square, known as the "Crossroads of the World": for the next years,we would Color the world with green (the next 30 years we're going to make a change in the Earth).　　In the New York LED screen advertising, build up ideas and image, usually quickly become a global economic and political development vane, and Tianwei this move, it is pointed out the future direction of development-the concept of environmental protection to open up a new blueprint.　　Such an intensive publicity campaign stems from He Liangmei's worries about the future development of Tianwei and the industry as a whole. He Liangmei is not optimistic about the current situation of the whole industry. First from the Tianwei itself, the foundation is relatively large, and the industry information is more and more transparent, peer competition more intense, want to achieve faster development is more difficult. And as the global economy slumps, oil prices are one-fold higher than in 2009, leading to higher raw material prices across the industry.　　In addition to raw materials, land, human costs and prices are rising, but also increased competition.　　The fierce competition causes Tianwei's gross profit margin to drop continuously, the company's gross margin at present is about 15%. From the whole consumable industry, He Liangmei seems to feel the crisis. Because with the development and use of electronic products such as the iphone, the number of printing is decreasing. "For example, photos of many people on the Internet to see the line, do not need to print out, this will be the industry's biggest challenge."　　He Liangmei told the Financial weekly reporter.　　But for a self-made man, perhaps this is just a stumbling block, and the stumbling block as a stepping stone, it is He Liangmei's genius.　　From scratch I want to do some people do not have things, so then chose the supplies. Born in Hong Kong in 1959, He Liangmei was a poor family with seven siblings. While reading, the family only give him 100 yuan a month to eat, he needs to work to earn books.　　He began to work from junior high school, when he was only 13 years old, and his first job is in a hardware factory when stamping work. As a result of the 22-year-old boarding in the school, He Liangmei has acquired a strong independent living ability since childhood. After graduating in 1977, He Liangmei a number of civil work on the seagoing ship and the construction site.　　But he quickly found the job very depressed, so he began to run business, it is this experience let him slowly learn the skills of doing business.　　In 1981, He Liangmei formally decided to go into the sea, he started on his usual savings of tens of thousands of yuan, recruited two employees, in Hong Kong Wan Chai and people rented a booth, wholesale and retail office supplies, which included the rare supplies supplies. In the process of doing office supplies trade, He Liangmei gradually found supplies industry business opportunities: "Business is difficult, mainly rely on personal inspiration, then do office supplies company has too much, and do supplies are basically not, so I thinkDo something that no one else has. So then I chose the supplies, I think this is still promising.　　In this way, in August 1988, He Liangmei rented a 300-square-metre site at the bottom of an old dormitory building in Zhuhai, establishing the first domestic brand ribbon production line. At that time, many people are the first choice to set up a business in Shenzhen, but He Liangmei chose Zhuhai, the reason is only "Zhuhai people more enthusiastic." Now, He Liangmei has proudly said: "The world's production of general-purpose supplies 70% in China, the whole of China 70% is in Guangdong, and Guangdong 80% is in Zhuhai."　　Zhuhai has become a veritable "consumable capital". With the development of the printer, He Liangmei also found that the huge business opportunities for general-purpose supplies, because at that time the price of foreign original supplies, He Liangmei believe that high quality, cheap, environmentally friendly general supplies will be the inevitable choice of customers.　　Thus, He Liangmei chose a foreign-funded original supplies "grab food" of the rugged road. Epson, Hewlett-Packard and other printer manufacturers most of the profits from printing supplies, in order to maintain high profits, their product manuals, will warn users: the use of non-authentic ink cartridges can not enjoy the warranty.　　This kind of bundled sales way let He Liangmei deeply unfair, because at present Tianwei General consumable product compares original factory's product to be cheap 20%~50%. The small size of the Tianwei had to survive in the gap until 1994, after a friend introduced, He Liangmei contacted several Hong Kong investors, after more than a year of investigation, they voted Tianwei more than 10 million, become a non-controlling shareholder. At that time, Tianwei, although it had a annual sales of less than HK $100 million, was on the rise.　　With the support of funds, Tianwei, become the first domestic production of laser supplies products business, 1995, sales of up to 200 million yuan, to become Asia's largest printing supplies production and marketing base.　　But "wood show in the forest, the wind will be destroyed", the growing Tianwei began to be under the pressure of foreign brands, "infringement of patents" for the name of the lawsuit let Tianwei miserable. The most serious lawsuit is Tianwei and Epson between the "patent war", at this time is 2000, He Liangmei realized that inkjet, laser patent problems, so set up a patent research group. However, soon after the Epson on a paper indictment to court, that Tianwei violated some of its products patent.　　The lawsuit lasted for five or six years and eventually settled out of court.　　Last year, Epson to the China State Intellectual Property Office Patent Review Board of the two patent invalid request was dismissed, which means the international printing giant to enter China's footsteps for the first time by Chinese patent blocked the way.　　This beautiful turnaround, let the Chinese consumable enterprise elated, let Epson future new products on the Chinese market must first do investigation, lest infringement. It is through the industry's most serious patent problems, He Liangmei perseverance, arguing, now he has turned this stumbling block cleverly into a stepping stone: now Tianwei has more than 2000 patented technology, and the annual rate of 200 pieces, fromand become the general supplies field patent most enterprises.　　But compared to the original supplies tens of thousands of patents, Tianwei patent road is still very long. In order to expand the development of enterprises, in 1995, He Liangmei set up a domestic sales company-Tianwei Pan Ling Trading Co.　　At present, Tianwei has been in Beijing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, such as the establishment of warehouses, radiation in north China, east China, South China, central China, southwest and other regions, greatly reducing the dealer and terminal customer warehousing costs, shorten the transfer cycle, services throughout the country more than 3,000 distributors and more than 20,000 sales outlets.　　Adhere to the road of patents have a large number of independent patents, so that Tianwei has become a major international enterprise gene.　　Recently, He Liangmei often on the side of the people feeling way: To do a conscientious enterprise more hard.　　NIU's melamine incident makes He Liangmei regrets many, he thought that this is the brutal market competition causes the evil result, lets a lot of entrepreneurs lose the social responsibility. As he is in the supplies industry, many small and medium-sized enterprises for infringement of other people's patents and do not agree: "Everyone will think that infringement of other people's patents?" There is no arson, no harm, it is easier for him to make the decision. So I do a conscience enterprise is more difficult.　　He Liangmei sighed. For the current challenges, He Liangmei that the issue of patents. Small and medium-sized Enterprises copy original production, no patent input, relatively low cost, more competitive prices.　　And in the face of numerous small and medium-sized enterprises frequent infringement, Tianwei set up a special rights department, the annual cost of millions of yuan.　　But for Tianwei, this is also an opportunity to have a large number of independent patents, so that Tianwei has become a major international enterprise gene.　　In the face of the challenge, He Liangmei has already done a coping strategy, and this "3-5 years ahead of others, and our goal is not the Chinese market, we are looking at the world's market" ability is also considered as the core competitiveness of Tianwei. To meet the challenge, Tianwei has to do is to transform and upgrade. "One of our strategies is to develop different print channels, in the past, we focused on office printing and desktop printing, and now we will focus on other ways of printing, such as switching to industrial printing schemes, and in office printing and personal printing, we are more environmentally friendly when researching products and more economical for users. Although the whole market will slowly shrink or slow growth, but we also hope that environmental protection, the economy will seek more market share. "Today's Tianwei more focus on product development, some low technical content, labor-intensive products will be outsourced to other enterprises, Tianwei is mainly to do some upstream research and development, its professional lawyers have more than 10 people, research and development team has two hundred or three hundred engineers."　　According to He Liangmei, the annual research and development investment to remove human costs, purchase equipment, raw materials research and development investment has three to 50 million yuan. He Liangmei Another identity is the Chinese Computer Industry Association printer Supplies Professional Committee president, this let him in the promotion of the entire supplies industry virtuous development of the road has an unshirkable sense of responsibility. Especially in raising peopleIn the sense of patent, He Liangmei by supporting its enterprises to hold "Tianwei Cup" patent innovation competition, to reward some of the intellectual property rights and patents contribute to enterprises and individuals.　　7 years ago, when He Liangmei began to hold "Tianwei Cup", found that China's patent supplies industry in the annual registration of only dozens of pieces, and now, the entire industry in the patent has been two thousand or three thousand a year, which makes He Liangmei feel very gratified.　　Venture Ten Ask He Liangmei: We have been preparing the listing of the Tianwei is your first few startups?　　First time.　　Why Choose consumable industry? My first job was to sell office supplies and supplies. Later I transferred to the supplies, business is difficult, mainly rely on personal inspiration, then do office supplies company already too much, and do supplies are basically not. The first time to do supplies difficult, but the competition will be smaller.　　There was no market research at the time, because it was in front of the market.　　How much is the first money invested?　　Forget, about tens of thousands of, but 30 years ago tens of thousands of, are their own work to earn money.　　What are the difficulties at first? Many difficulties, because the beginning, less people, the company is not well-known, small orders, you often run business.　　There are problems encountered in the production process, to be one to solve the process.　　In the process of development, the introduction of other people's funds? Yes, in 1994, a few people in Hong Kong invested in us. At that time by people introduced to know, the two sides talk well, about a year or so, they decided to participate in our company, until now are our shareholders. belongs to the industrial investment, is not a VC, then voted for us more than 10 million.　　Accounted for about 30% of the shares.　　When did you start to realize the patent issue? 2000, began to realize the patent issue, we used to do ribbons, ribbons of the patent relatively less, and then contact with inkjet, laser, we found more and more patent problems.　　So in 2000, we set up our own patent research group.　　You said on the official website, "We have no competitors, only goals", what are your goals?　　Our goal is to be the leader in the entire print industry, not only to sell ink cartridges or powder cartridges, but also to provide the best solutions to our users.　　Do you intend to go public? There, we have been preparing.　　Our company already has the condition of listing, but it is certainly not a good time to go public now.　　What is the ideal Tianwei in your heart?　　No best, only better.　　What is your hobby? Playing badminton, running, playing badminton is the past, now hand pain, can not fight, now is run two or three times a week.