(Cont'd...)
After travelling for three and half hours the driver took a detour from the highway and got into smaller province road. Around 10 am we reached the Yancheng Valves Factory.
As the communication reached them earlier about my visit, Top Managers were ready to receive me. The visit is for inspection of their facilities and quality standards being followed in the manufacturing areas. L&T wanted to set up a Joint Venture in China, mainly for Gate,Globe and check valves which had huge demand in the international market.
We could not compete in the international market as our prices were high comparatively. Manufacturing in China had minimum of 15% price advantage. But to maintain good quality levels we need to find a JV partner who has high quality standards of manufacturing.
After preliminary introduction, the shop visit started. There was a separate Ball valves manufacturing line to export it to US. The area clearly earmarked. Obviously they did not take me inside as we being one of the competitors in the products being manufactured.
They took me around areas where GGC (Gate,Globe,Check) valve components are machined,then the Quality room, lab, documentation all that. I was impressed, but did not express anything at that point of time.
It was lunch time by the time we finished inspection of facilities. As I was already familiar the type of food available I settled with some greens, groundnut, Fish boiled& salted, Fruit juice, Egg burji etc.,small qty of rice mixed with egg burji. By this visit I have even stopped drinks (Alcohol), I consumed lot of fruit juices.
After lunch they took me to a open undeveloped area. I could see all along the drive medians planted with fully grown flower plants, replanted and watered, Fully grown trees wound with raw hay ropes to four feet and watered. When I enquired they said this is how cities with clean environment developed faster in China. Many such cities are developed in collaboration with a Singapore Agency. I remembered about Suzhou visit during my first visit a beautiful city developed recently even a lake artificially created.
We reached the place where supposed to be a factory of JV will be built up. A barren land was shown which was clear flat ground ready to construct factory. Took photographs and returned.
After thanking them for the kind courtesy extended left their factory and went to a steel casting foundry. That's again to evaluate.
But this time I was terribly disappointed, though foundry had good manufacturing set up the quality of castings, traceability, documentation all in poor shape. They had ISO certificate for name sake, I realised the certificate is not enough to approve a manufacturing set up.
Mentally made up my mind that this won't suit us I left for another visit to an Investment Casting foundry.
There again the process followed was not to the expected level. I have seen people working in Zircon coating area with lot of chemical smell without wearing masks. Many women were working but no separate changing rooms. To my surprise like men they were casually changing dress in the adjacent room after the shift is over which had no doors.
I would share more on this when I write about my Wenzhou visit. We left around 4 30 and reached Shanghai late night. I thanked Su and he left. Generally the Chinese do not accept tips.
(End of Chapter)
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