Kong Qinghua, General Manager and Party Secretary of XCMG Foundation, at the 2021 Jiangsu Provincial Model Worker and Advanced Worker Commendation Conference

As a veteran on the construction machinery front, Kong Qinghua has dedicated 37 years to XCMG. With outstanding leadership, unique management skills, and a forward-looking, insightful strategic vision, every enterprise he has led has continuously transformed from small to large, from weak to strong, and ultimately become an industry leader.

Under his leadership, seven major XCMG product lines have been developed from scratch and ultimately firmly secured the industry's top position, greatly promoting technological progress in the above industries and enhancing the influence and voice of Chinese manufacturing in the international market.

In 1996, Kong Qinghua was appointed Deputy General Manager of Xuzhou Road Construction Machinery Branch and Director of the Paver Factory.

After taking office, with his unique market insight and profound technical accumulation, he identified the gap in domestic road stabilized soil layer paving construction technology and equipment, and decisively launched the stabilized soil paver, establishing XCMG pavers' market position and pushing China's high-grade highway subgrade construction technology to a new height. Subsequently, he organized the development of another flagship product, the RP1250 paver, which won the highest award in China's paver history at that time—the First Prize of China Construction Machinery Science and Technology Progress. In 2000, XCMG pavers leaped to the leading position in the domestic paver industry.

An early generation XCMG paver

In April 2000, he took office as General Manager of XCMG Road Construction Machinery Branch, focusing on road rollers. He led the development of XCMG's "1" series road roller fleet R&D project. On the basis of digesting and absorbing advanced foreign technology, he pioneered China's high-end compaction equipment industry. In 2001, XCMG road rollers occupied half of the domestic market; in 2003, the domestic market share exceeded 55%, achieving a monopoly position, greatly improving the pavement quality of China's expressways and bringing China's road compaction equipment and technology to the world's forefront.

An early generation XCMG road roller

In October 2005, he became General Manager of Xuzhou XCMG Road Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. At the beginning of his tenure, facing the problem of an incomplete domestic market system for motor graders, he thoroughly stimulated the market impact of XCMG motor graders through the strategy of "market-oriented technology development and technology-oriented market development." In 2007, nearly half of XCMG motor graders were exported, sales reached a new historical high, and it jumped to the top position in the industry.

An early generation XCMG motor grader

In January 2010, Xuzhou XCMG Foundation Engineering Machinery Co., Ltd. was established, and Kong Qinghua was once again entrusted with the important task of General Manager and Party Secretary.

In the process of continuously familiarizing himself with the "two drilling" products, he summarized and explored a market-driven reverse R&D management model for construction machinery products, ultimately achieving the rapid introduction of marketable new products to the market, while completing market cultivation, rapidly increasing new product volume, and occupying the market in a short time.

While product sales gradually opened up, Kong Qinghua proposed and built a "four-in-one" full value chain business model, focusing on users and market demand to create foundation engineering equipment that truly meets market needs.

Kong Qinghua, General Manager and Party Secretary of XCMG Foundation, at an expert seminar

Over the past 10 years, under Kong Qinghua's leadership, 117 products of XCMG Foundation have won national, provincial, and municipal machinery industry science and technology progress awards. His diversified management ideas have continuously won national and Jiangsu provincial management innovation awards.

XCMG Foundation won the First Prize of the 23rd National Enterprise Management Modernization Innovation Achievement

XCMG Foundation awarded the title of "Jiangsu Provincial Management Innovation Demonstration Enterprise"

Technological and management innovation alone cannot fully capture the upward trend of XCMG Foundation. The business performance is intuitive and concrete: XCMG Foundation's average annual compound growth rate over ten years exceeds 33%. In 2016, XCMG Foundation was among the first batch to receive the "Manufacturing Single Champion Demonstration Enterprise" title and successfully passed re-evaluation in 2019.

Manufacturing Single Champion Demonstration Enterprise

An engineering background, experience as a chief product designer, and market training as a marketing company general manager have continuously inspired Kong Qinghua's unique and keen market insight and innovative thinking.

XCMG Foundation factory area

When rotary drilling rigs were still focused on construction in the black soil of Northeast China, he had already set his sights on the vast blank area of rock formations in Southwest China. He organized efforts to research rotary drilling rig construction technology for complex strata, breaking through the forbidden zone where large-diameter, deep-pile, hard-stratum construction was impossible, and stood out in Southwest and South China, with a market share of over 60% for large-tonnage rotary drilling rigs.

In 2010, Kong Qinghua, General Manager and Party Secretary of XCMG Foundation, led all Party members to conduct research at the Taohuayu construction site in Zhengzhou

The double-wheel trench cutter is known as the "pearl on the crown" of construction machinery and is a typical representative of high-end, high-value-added products. Before the advent of XCMG's double-wheel trench cutter in 2015, imported double-wheel trench cutters were extremely expensive, with high operating costs and long parts supply cycles, making many construction units sigh in despair.

XCMG double-wheel trench cutter highly favored by visitors at bauma China in Shanghai

When the construction machinery industry was booming, Kong Qinghua anticipated the crisis of market saturation in advance. He decisively entered the coal machinery field and creatively introduced coal mine tunneling technology into the tunnel construction field. In June 2014, XCMG's cantilever tunnel boring machine successfully rolled off the production line and was launched to the market, filling a domestic gap and maintaining the industry's top position since 2019.

XCMG cantilever tunnel boring machine rolls off the line

After achieving success in the coal mine equipment field, Kong Qinghua saw huge development space in the energy equipment field and promoted the rapid industrialization of deep water well drilling rigs. XCMG's energy drilling machinery industry sector has taken shape.

XCMG deep water well drilling rig delivered

Kong Qinghua's product innovation leadership goes far beyond this: the bolter miner promotes rapid coal mine tunneling, the subsea tunnel cleaning robot marks a solid step for XCMG towards customized special and unmanned equipment... He has led XCMG Foundation to provide "specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative" equipment support for numerous major projects related to national economy and people's livelihood.

XCMG tunnel cleaning robot performing cleaning operations in a subsea tunnel

In addition to complete machine technology innovation, in order to overcome the shortcoming of hollowing out in construction machinery, Kong Qinghua jointly developed key core components such as pumps, motors, and reducers suitable for high-end construction machinery equipment with domestic component manufacturers, pioneering the localization substitution of core components for China's construction machinery, promoting the improvement of basic industrial capabilities of construction machinery, and ensuring supply chain security.

XCMG self-made rotary drilling rig drill pipe

Kong Qinghua once wrote a couplet to encourage everyone: "Take the initiative and rely on yourself; go deep into the market and ask no favors," with the horizontal scroll "Heaven rewards the diligent." This couplet flows deeply in the blood of the enterprise, becoming a creed that inspires all employees to forge ahead, and is also his own motto.

Kong Qinghua, General Manager and Party Secretary of XCMG Foundation

After years of immersion in XCMG, the enterprise has become Kong Qinghua's home. The light in his office stays on until late at night almost every day. He often says that decision-makers "must squat on positions with artillery fire and gunshots; merely hearing and seeing is far from enough." Wherever XCMG Foundation products are under construction, he is often seen talking with operators and users—that is him going deep into the market and construction sites to understand product construction conditions.

Kong Qinghua, General Manager and Party Secretary of XCMG Foundation, conducting research at a product construction site

For almost twenty years, every Mid-Autumn Festival, he always celebrates with employees of overseas offices and personally writes letters of consolation to overseas marketing and service personnel. He has not only become the "big brother" in the hearts of employees but also an old friend of customers and allies. Whenever customers come to the company to see products, he always receives them personally if he has time.

Kong Qinghua, General Manager and Party Secretary of XCMG Foundation, exchanging views on products with customers and experts

In terms of talent cultivation, he is willing to serve as a ladder. He always says: the development achievements of an enterprise are not only good products but, more importantly, the development of outstanding talents. From chief designer to general manager, he has cultivated more than 20 top industry professional technical leaders and enterprise management experts for the company and the industry, driving the development of the industry.

Kong Qinghua, General Manager and Party Secretary of XCMG Foundation, visiting the market

These are Kong Qinghua's words and also his portrayal! In 2021, he is leading all XCMG Foundation employees towards the high-quality goal of ten billion!