The Rise of a New Generation | Xu Xun of Transfar Group: Advancing into the Age of Global Navigation amidst pressure and challenges
2024-08-14
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Chao News Client reporter Xu Yiwen intern Yao Yao
Qianjiang River is surging and surging. Zhejiang's private economy has experienced more than 40 years of vigorous development. Now, the new generation of Zhejiang businessmen is continuing to grow, steering the sails of enterprises, shouldering the beams of society, and becoming an indispensable backbone force in the Zhejiang business community. Qianjiang Evening News and Zhejiang Federation of Industry and Commerce jointly launched the "New Generation" column. Through dialogues and visits, it excavates the growth stories of a group of young entrepreneurs who are idealistic, knowledgeable, responsible, and willing to work hard, builds a bridge of communication for the new generation of Zhejiang businessmen, and promotes the "back wave" of Zhejiang businessmen.
Xu Xun, Vice President of Transfar Group
Xu Xun, wearing a pure white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of half-frame black-rimmed glasses, looked like a boy next door. He had just returned from a business trip abroad the night before, and the next day he immediately attended the 4th Standing Committee Meeting of the 12th Zhejiang Federation of Industry and Commerce and gave a speech on stage.
Taking advantage of the break in the meeting, a reporter from Chao News interviewed Xu Xun. He was under tight schedule and had heavy tasks to accomplish, but the jet lag did not affect his condition. Although people greeted him from time to time during the interview, he was still able to respond to questions quickly and accurately.
Xu Xun has attracted particular attention from the outside world. In addition to being a director and vice president of Zhejiang Transfar Group, he is also the son of the group's head, Xu Guanju. Ten years ago, Xu Xun, who returned from studying abroad, joined Transfar and learned and gained experience in multiple positions. From a bystander to a promoter, Xu Xun is now becoming more and more mature.
Founded in 1986, Transfar has grown from a small workshop to a modern industrial group with diversified layout, covering chemical industry, intelligent logistics, science and technology agriculture, life science and other fields, and its products and services cover more than 130 countries and regions. On this "giant ship" of Transfar, the young helmsman Xu Xun is opening up a new route.
Ten years of hard work, from a bystander to a promoter
The year Xu Xun was born, Chuanhua's business had just started. The founders, Xu Chuanhua and Xu Guanju, started a small family workshop producing liquid soap with a loan of 2,000 yuan, a large vat and a bicycle. During the day, they rode their bicycles door to door to sell liquid soap, and at night they returned to the small workshop to produce it. Through words and deeds, Xu Xun witnessed the hardships of his father's entrepreneurship since he was a child.
In 2014, Xu Xun joined Transfar after returning from studying and working in the United States. At first, he found that he did not understand Transfar’s specific operating system processes and was more like a "bystander."
So, he began to gain experience in multiple positions, starting with the Chuanghua Chemical Supply Chain Center for rotational training. He participated in chemical supply chain consulting projects, led the decoration design of the new headquarters building, was responsible for the construction of a centralized procurement platform, and also served as the secretary of the Youth League Committee of Chuanghua Group.
In the course of business operations, Xu Xun will inevitably encounter difficulties and challenges, "but I think going through difficulties is part of growth, and I can improve my abilities through continuous learning and practice."
After a period of accumulation, Xu Xun gradually became more mature. At that time, the traditional daily chemical sector was facing a development bottleneck, and he took the initiative to volunteer to go to the front line of business and serve as the general manager of the daily necessities branch of Chuanhua Group.
Externally, he explored the portable and personalized needs of young consumers for home cleaning, opened the "Inspiration Factory" studio, launched new brands such as LazyGo and bulubulu, and created popular products; at the same time, he formed a professional team to operate e-commerce, launched IP co-branded gift boxes during major festivals, and promoted the continued growth of online sales contribution; internally, he achieved cost reduction and efficiency improvement through measures such as integrating the supply chain, introducing scientific research talents, and digital reforms.
Xu Xun is like a "catfish" who has activated the team and brought innovation and change to the company. "In the process of practice, I gradually realized that we should not only innovate product packaging and selling points, but also cover multiple aspects such as brand building and channel expansion. The ultimate goal is to be based on the core of traditional business and enable new brand building while developing steadily." After three years of hard work, Xu Xun recreated a brand new daily chemical. Later, he began to serve as the executive president of Transfar Chemical Group.
"My initial mentality was to look at business operations from a bystander's perspective, but now I am taking on substantive responsibilities to promote corporate change." From a bystander to a promoter, the past ten years have not only been a change of identity for Xu Xun, but also a comprehensive improvement of his personal abilities.
Xu Xun, Vice President of Transfar Group
In the next 40 years, we will move towards the global mid-to-high-end market
When asked how the Transfar Group has maintained its vitality for nearly 40 years, Xu Xun said that it was inseparable from the pioneering and hard work of his parents and all Transfar employees.
Grandpa Xu Chuanhua established a strong marketing team in the early days of the business, and led the Chuanhua Group from scratch through continuous technological innovation and independent research and development; father Xu Guanju led the Chuanhua Group from small to large and into a diversified industrial group through continuous innovation and development, active promotion of the digitalization process, and attention to employees and party building.
Xu Xun told Chao News reporter that like most new generation Zhejiang businessmen, he inherited the pioneering spirit and business acumen of his ancestors, combined with his personal advantages, actively expanded the international market, focused on cultivating a team of scientific and technological talents, and continuously optimized the company's governance structure.
Currently, 20% of the textile chemicals business of which Xu Xun is president is overseas, which is not limited to exports but also includes local sales, technical services and even setting up factories. "In order to adapt to the needs of international management, we need to quickly form a localized team, build infrastructure, unify ideas, culture and management processes, and carry out mergers and acquisitions."
"There are new challenges every moment. I am very grateful to my father. We would have meals and talk together. He would guide and support me in key decisions and review and evaluate my work." In the face of challenges, Xu Xun admitted that "the pressure is not small." When he is anxious, he will go swimming and then take a nap.
In his frequent communications with international clients, he deeply realized the urgency and necessity of integrating into the global market. “Chinese companies must actively integrate into the global market, promote improvements in technological innovation, brand building, and channel construction, and gain a due position on the global stage in order to win the respect of their peers around the world.”
Transfar emphasizes high-quality development driven by innovation, takes science and technology as the main axis and the first driving force, and maintains high-intensity investment in science and technology. At present, it has jointly built an innovation institute with more than 40 scientific research institutes such as Zhejiang University, and has built more than 20 joint laboratories with customers. These have enabled Transfar to maintain first-class product competitiveness in the fierce market competition.
"In the process of growing from big to strong, there is still some gap between our company and world-class companies in terms of technological strength and other aspects. The development of new quality productivity has put higher demands on us." Xu Xun said that in the next 40 years, Chuanhao will aim at new quality productivity, through transformation and upgrading and high-quality development, comprehensively connect and serve upstream and downstream customers, move towards the middle and high end of the global value chain, and make due contributions to economic and social development.
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