More than 40 years ago, the wave of reform and opening up in China began. In this context, a group of people follow the trend and become what people call heroes.
Cao, a Fujian businessman known as the "King of Glass", is one of these heroes.
Once upon a time, Fuyao Glass founded by Cao monopolized the glass market at home and abroad. Even Fuyao Glass has a legend that "two out of every three cars in China use Fuyao Glass, while one out of every four cars in the world uses Fuyao Glass". Cao Wangde himself is very proud of Fuyao's achievements and has repeatedly expressed his confidence in Fuyao in public: "Now the world is the first, I account for 70%, and the second place is nobody's business."
But it is a pity that no one has escaped the folk rule that "always walk by the river, how can you not wet your shoes".
At the beginning of this year, the birth of the same glass industry took away the throne of "glass king" that Cao had been sitting on for many years.
Compared with the well-known Cao, it has always been a blockbuster. First, in the Hurun Global Rich List released in May 438+10, it ranked 356th with a value of 5 1 100 million yuan, about 25 billion yuan more than Cao, who ranked 900th.
Recently, xinyi glass and Fuyao Glass of Cao released the financial report of the company 202 1 respectively. Data show that xinyi glass's annual revenue is 24.76 billion yuan, surpassing Fuyao Glass for the first time. In terms of net profit, xinyi glass's 9.406 billion yuan is three times more than Fuyao Glass.
Obviously, the "glass king" has changed hands.
However, is the era of Cao Wangde gone forever?
Compared with Cao's rich, rich, powerful and enviable life, his first half was full of hardships and drama.
1945, Japan was defeated and the Japanese army withdrew from Shanghai. According to records, this year, after the opening of Shanghai port 1843, Shanghai was in the hands of China municipal government for the first time. The following year, 1946, Wu Guozhen, then the mayor of Shanghai, put forward the first master plan of Shanghai, which was the first time in Shanghai's history to plan and design the reclaimed British-French concession and the Chinese border together as a unified big city. Later, this design was called "Greater Shanghai Metropolitan Plan".
Just as Shanghainese are proud to be the owners of their houses, Shanghai government officials are busy planning this metropolis, which will be called the economic center of China, born into a businessman's family with a golden spoon in their mouth.
Cao's father is one of the shareholders of Shanghai Yong 'an Department Store, and his family is well-off. Born in such a family, Cao is an out-and-out "rich second generation" in today's words.
But, poor Cao, such a good life basically didn't last long.
1947 During the War of Liberation, the People's Liberation Army changed from strategic defense to strategic attack, and then successively carried out three major battles, namely Liaoshen, Huaihai and Ping Jin, which basically eliminated the main force of the Kuomintang army.
At this time, the wealthy businessmen in Shanghai who were afraid of war moved and fled from Shanghai, some fled to southern cities, and some simply went abroad. Cao's parents decided to move back to their hometown in Fuqing, Fujian.
It is said that Cao's property was too rich at that time, so a cargo ship was built to transport all the family's property. Unfortunately, the cargo ship was caught in a storm at sea and all its property sank to the bottom of the sea.
Therefore, since Cao can remember, his family has been very poor.
When Cao 14 years old, he finished his studies early and dropped out of school to go home. At that time, the Cao family could not keep idle people, so they had to work in the society.
After dropping out of school, Cao did more than a dozen jobs back and forth. First, I worked as a cowherd on the production team, counted tree pits on the farm, then learned to do business with my father, sold tobacco and fruits, planted tremella to sell and resell in other places, repaired bicycles on the construction site, worked as a cook and buyer in the canteen, and worked as a fruit seedling technician and salesman on the farm. ...
There are many kinds of jobs, but none of them are smooth sailing.
He and his father were caught selling tobacco, and goods and cars were detained; He spent 3000 yuan to buy tremella planted by villagers and resell it in Jiangxi. He was detained by the militia at Yingtan station, saying that he was profiteering. He went to the construction site as a volunteer. On the third day, the camp was burned down and almost regarded as an arsonist. The only job he enjoyed in the canteen was only two years. When the project was completed, he was fired. ...
These jobs are full of dramatic pain, and Cao Wangde once wondered if he was "the sky is falling". But fortunately, he has been working hard, never giving up, taking suffering as his strength and accumulating experience in doing business and dealing with people.
Looking back now, Cao has repeatedly said that it is precisely because of the hardships and tiredness in the first half of his life that he laid the foundation for the success of the glass industry in the future.
As Balzac said, "Suffering is a stepping stone to genius". Cao's failure, somehow, led him from agriculture to industry and from small fortune to the peak of his life.
1976 was an extraordinary year for China. Three great men died in Tangshan earthquake, which was also the last year of great turmoil in China written by writer Wang Nianyi.
In the early spring of this year, when Cao was discussing with two friends, he accidentally learned that a small piece of water meter glass could sell for 50 cents. Three people are going to open a glass factory together. One of the two friends said that he had investigated the market, and the other said that he had technology. Naturally, Cao came out to lobby the leaders of Gaoshan commune to provide funds and land.
In this way, in the summer of 1976, the Alpine special-shaped glass factory was established, and Cao's life began to get on the right track.
However, the establishment of Gaoshan Glass Factory only allowed Cao to enter the glass industry. As a leader and introducer, he didn't get the reuse of the factory director, but only got the position of temporary buyer.
At that time, the glass factory was a beautiful job in the eyes of alpine people, and everyone wanted to enter the factory. Therefore, almost every day, the factory director, accounting and other administrative personnel are invited to eat and drink, and chickens, ducks and fish eggs are also distributed on holidays. However, these have nothing to do with Cao. As a result, the glass factory began trial production from 1979, and the real problem appeared-the qualified rate of finished glass products was low, not only making money, but also losing money.
Cao volunteered to go to Shanghai for help through his own relationship, and asked the engineers of Shanghai Glass Factory to guide the equipment transformation of Gaoshan Factory so that the glass could pass the inspection. However, the factory director not only did not appreciate Cao, but also refused to let him send a watch in order to protect his personal feelings.
Ordinary people may have resigned themselves to such a series of blows, muddling along and drifting with the tide.
But Cao doesn't think so. He thinks, "As long as you give me the platform of industry, I can be the best enterprise in the future." Like Cao, there are still many entrepreneurs who have caught up with the wave of reform and opening up, but in the end they are all those who started from the grassroots, experienced hardships, have perseverance, pattern and flexibility. Even if it is only a small screw in the enterprise, Cao has done his best.
On the one hand, due to the business needs of buyers, Cao spends most of his time in Fuzhou, the provincial capital. At that time, purchasing materials needed indicators. According to Fuzhou people's habit of soaking in hot springs, Cao goes to bathhouses and hot springs almost every afternoon to meet the purchasing section chiefs of various factories in Fuzhou, and invites them to smoke, drink tea and eat snacks out of their own pockets.
Cao not only got the index he needed, but also solved the problems of wood, glass, steel bar and cement in many places through index exchange. Getting some economic benefits is the second thing. More importantly, Cao established a interpersonal network in these contacts and gained the ability to sign contracts.
On the other hand, after the Cultural Revolution, Cao studied crazily, broadened his horizons, especially taught himself accounting, and had a systematic understanding of enterprise management, which laid the foundation for contracting glass factories later.
Due to poor management, Gaoshan Glass Factory faced closure on 1983.
At this time, the No.1 document of the Central Committee was issued to encourage contracting. Cao, who is familiar with the business, contracted the glass factory with his own savings, implemented the management accounting system and reformed the wage structure, which greatly mobilized the enthusiasm of workers. At that time, Gaoshan Glass Factory accounted for 90% of domestic water meter glass production.
A year later, Cao changed from contracting to joint venture. During a trip in Wuyishan, I accidentally learned that the automobile glass market in China was monopolized by Japan, Europe and America at that time, and the price was very expensive.
Therefore, Cao decided to build another automobile glass factory.
However, Cao, who made a lot of money, was envied and hated by many alpine people and was rumored to be corrupt. Although he was wronged, his partner withdrew his capital to protect himself.
1987 During the Spring Festival, Cao applied to the county and moved to Shanghai to invite the glass factory to invest in technology and set up Fuyao Group.
Despite the twists and turns after the establishment of Fuyao, Cao became increasingly frustrated. It took only six years to successfully list in China A-share market, and its business is booming. It has built factories in Changchun, Shanghai, Chongqing and other places, almost monopolizing the domestic glass market.
As the glass industry is also a part of economic globalization, Cao also turned his attention to the international market, the most important of which is the development of the American market.
1995, Cao built a warehouse in the United States and set up Fuyao Safety Automobile Glass Wholesale Center, hoping to open the American market. Cao plans to transport the glass to the warehouse in the United States, and then transport it to customers according to their needs, that is, distribution.
However, unlike the domestic market, the United States has a vast territory and sparsely populated customers, and only buys a few pieces at a time. However, the transportation cost of glass packaging is very high, which will not only make no money, but also lose all profits.
Fortunately, Cao made timely response measures, drastically reduced American warehouses, changed sales methods, changed from distribution to direct sales, and required orders to exceed one container, and the shipping company responsible for transportation contacted the freight company before sending them to customers.
A year later, the American branch turned losses into profits, and then increased by more than 30% for three consecutive years, completely opening up the American market.
In addition to Fuyao Glass, some domestic glass enterprises have also chosen the United States to explore the market, which makes American glass enterprises very jealous.
200 1, American PPG, together with two other glass companies, sued the US Department of Commerce for dumping glass in China.
In this regard, Cao resolutely responded. He believes that if he gives up responding to the lawsuit, it means that Fuyao admits dumping, gives up the international market, and even evades the responsibility that enterprises should bear to safeguard national dignity.
He made rude remarks to the US: "The United States is your United States, and the terms of the WTO are yours. I didn't violate them. You are not allowed to talk nonsense. You can tell me not to sell glass here, but you can't sue me for dumping. I didn't violate your regulations. "
The anti-dumping war lasted for three years. When the US Department of Commerce ruled that it was unfair, other Chinese enterprises retreated, but Fuyao did not.
Cao vowed to fight them to the end, suing the US Department of Commerce to the Federal Circuit Court, and finally winning the case, becoming the first anti-dumping victory since China's accession to the WTO.
Cao realized that this anti-dumping war is not only an economic problem of an enterprise, but also a question of national dignity. Therefore, he established university of international business and economics Fuyao Anti-dumping Research Center in Beijing to help enterprises going abroad solve this problem.
Fuyao won, but the lawsuit cost a lot, and Cao spent nearly 100 million yuan back and forth. But in a later interview, the host asked if there was great pressure to deal with the United States at that time. Cao Wangde said with a smile: "I am very happy and have no pressure." .
To be continued.
References:
1. Cao Wangde: "Heart is Bodhi"
2. The Big Bang of New Energy: "Angry senior officials, hard-lever America, Fuyao glass, automobile glass faucet, ushered in a new bull logic."
3. Understand the front of the car: "How powerful is Fuyao Glass sold to North America? 》
4. Factory Flower Egg Girl: "Angry Ma Yun, laughing at Pan Shiyi! Malicious Cao 10 Great Golden Sentence Rich Example Series "
Self-appraisal form for academic year appraisal 1
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