Although overseas exports were blocked, he saw more opportunities
The easiest way to cope with the crisis is to require us to do a better job in brand, product, technology, and distributor support. In 2009, China National Heavy Duty Truck Corporation still needs to ensure the pace of internationalization and consolidate its leading position in overseas markets.
Who wears a pipa and dances, who will not go down, whoever will fall. This is the current status of China’s commercial vehicle companies.
In the depressed domestic market and the deteriorating overseas environment, under the dual pressure, almost all commercial vehicle companies use the word “poor, not optimistic, and not very good†to describe the current situation. They have to fight 12 points. Spirit, with a view to finding the most suitable breakthrough in difficult situations.
In this special year of 2009, the breakthrough was invariably chosen by many manufacturers in the local market. The most talked about in China's commercial vehicle industry is how to grasp the government's large-scale infrastructure construction and 4 trillion investment to stimulate domestic demand. After all, Due to the continuing impact of the global financial crisis, the wilting of overseas exports will not be resolved in the short term. As a result, all commercial vehicle companies are trying to increase their domestic market share in all possible ways.
In such a large environment, Liu Qingsheng’s burden is not easy, and his busy working rhythm can be seen on a fully scheduled schedule. However, it should be noted that the scope of his work is not the same as the Chinese mainland that we talked about above. Instead, it is now an export market that is “more bleakâ€.
Temporary dilemma does not mean that it is an eternal situation. Although many veterans of commercial vehicle companies have expressed their position, the new growth point in the domestic market will fill up the reduced profits of overseas markets. However, if they are asked whether they will abandon their work on overseas markets in this particular year, we believe that “negation†is the only answer. Everyone knows that the importance of overseas markets for China's commercial vehicle companies means that going out of the country not only means profit, but also the best proof of straightness and strength.
Reasons we all understand, but how exactly does this set of overseas chess games come into being? The more difficult the environment is, the more severe the challenge is, the more it needs clear development ideas and long-term vision. As the leading company of commercial vehicles in China, CNHTC's 2009 domestic market started well, and at least in the past quarter, it has already distanced itself from competitors whose production and sales have fallen sharply. However, such a result is not satisfied with China National Heavy Duty Truck Group. According to the deployment of China National Heavy Duty Truck Chairman Ma Chunji, internationalization is bound to be an important development direction of the company, and must not be shaken because of the temporary crisis. Moreover, the current export sales volume of Sinotruk only accounts for about 17% of the Group's sales volume. Changes in the overseas market will not have much impact on the overall level of the Group, and it also has certain strength to further develop overseas business.
Liu Qingsheng, who is the general manager of China National Heavy Duty Truck Import & Export Corporation, believes that the responsibility he has to bear in this crisis is believed to be the biggest one in his import and export work career. In spite of this, Liu Qingsheng still reveals the unique persistence of the Shandong people: “The easiest way to cope with the crisis is to require us to do better in the brand, product, technology, and support for dealers. Steam still wants to ensure the pace of internationalization and consolidate our leading position in overseas markets."
A7 attraction
"Foreign consumer confidence is low, demand is sluggish, and everyone's overseas investment scale has been reduced. This is a fact. But we must rationally look at this issue. It cannot be impossible for this crisis to develop," Liu Qingsheng told the reporter. Autobots". Before that, he had just had a pleasant conversation with several dealers from Saudi Arabia.
With a smile on his face, Liu Qingsheng's mood was as exciting as the Saudi dealers who had left: "Maybe we will have a bigger order soon." It's not difficult to understand Liu Qingsheng's current excitement. Because of the overseas export environment in the downturn, the recognition of overseas distributors and continued cooperation are very valuable.
HOWO-A7, the new product of China National Heavy Duty Truck Group, was highly praised by Saudi dealers. They even experienced a lot of experience and hoped to introduce the A7 with international quality and outstanding cost performance in the Saudi Arabian region.
Actually, not only Saudi Arabia, but many overseas distributors around the world have obtained detailed information on the A7 through various channels. They even went to China to inspect the specific performance of the A7. They have sent inquiries to China National Heavy Duty Truck and asked if they can purchase this to represent China's heavy duty. Truck leading high-performance products? The international heavy truck giants including Volvo and Mann all expressed their admiration and admiration for the high quality of Sinotruk A7.
Based on years of experience in overseas markets, Liu Qingsheng told Autobot that the current Chinese high-powered engine has not yet fully entered the international market. “Because of the different market environment, many foreign heavy tractors are concentrated in more than 420 hp, and even There are 500 horsepower. A7 we have a 420-horsepower model, so overseas distributors also hope that China can import high-powered products into their markets. They value the competitiveness of CNHTC in the local market.â€
If it is only to seek attention and exposure, perhaps China National Heavy Duty Truck will not hesitate to quickly spread the A7 to the world, especially in the current sluggish overseas business, the contrarian expansion will definitely receive the greatest effect of eye-catching. . However, this is in no way in line with the gradual internationalization of China National Heavy Duty Truck. A slight mistake will cause incalculable damage to the company's brand. "From product research and development to market verification to large-scale promotion, we have a series of detailed plans to promote, like the introduction of high-powered products also requires a process, but also involves many other factors," Liu Qingsheng said.
According to China National Heavy Duty Truck's export principle, as long as the customer has the need to import the appropriate product, but the introduction of new products will inevitably require a process, under the premise of ensuring product quality, we must also conduct a series of pre-promotion, dealer training and Late accessories preparation. “A7 is still in the domestic market inspection period, and the output is strictly controlled. We must guarantee it in terms of quality, performance, etc. We will definitely push it to the world at an appropriate time,†Liu Qingsheng said in his It seems that when all the conditions are ripe, A7's global promotion will shock the world.
This is not an exaggeration. China's first large-scale automatic robotic stamping production line, strategic support of many global component giants, and the international quality and cost-effectiveness of AMT transmission equipped with China National Heavy-duty Autonomously-developed AMT transmission gearbox are no doubt, demonstrating the manufacturing level of China's heavy trucks. The further narrowing of the gap with international heavy truck manufacturers also means that Sinotruk will no longer participate in international competition solely with price advantage.
In order to diversify the risk, China National Heavy Duty Truck Group has indeed transferred some of its resources to the HOW0-A7 new generation of high-end heavy trucks, hoping that this newly developed product can open up the situation overseas, just as Sinotruk's propaganda chief Guo Huanan told the Autobots. That said: "There must be high-end and low-end vehicle products and high-end products. This can reduce overseas risks and attract more foreign customers."
Walking on two legs
Compared to cautious introduction of new products, how to adjust the export strategy according to the actual situation in the crisis is even more urgent.
“The current situation is so bad. Will it reduce the overseas investment front in 2009?†Liu Qingsheng shook his head affirmatively in the face of the “Car Man†question. He admitted that despite the first quarter of 2009, China's heavy truck exports have declined compared to the same period last year, but this is caused by the big environment, China's commercial vehicle exports have fallen as a whole. “Doing international trade can not be a quarter to judge the whole year The situation, because the export has a certain stage, from the order to the official start, the basic need for two months of production, production and prepayment time, according to my judgment, although the obvious reduction in external demand, recovery also takes some time, but this year China National Heavy Duty Truck's overseas business is still promising, and there are pressures to be more motivated," Liu Qingsheng said. In the past few years, Sinotruk’s overseas development capabilities, the accumulation of experience in the international market, and the idea of ​​continuous innovation are exactly the same. The main source of confidence.
However, in the event of changes in market conditions, companies must respond in a timely manner, but the prerequisite is that we must have a clear understanding of the overall situation. Liu Qingsheng said to the Autobots: "At present, not only China National Heavy Duty Truck Group, many exporters of commercial vehicle companies are concentrated in developing countries. In these countries, heavy trucks are mainly used for the construction of projects, but some Large engineering investment may come from Europe and the United States. Engineering construction in developing countries will naturally shrink due to the financial crisis. Together with currency exchange rates, falling oil prices, and trade protectionism in some countries, we must integrate all factors. Considering that we can make correct judgments so that we can re-arrange the world.â€
“Maintaining the advantages of traditional regions, seizing the opportunities in emerging markets, and walking on two legs at the same timeâ€, Liu Qingsheng once again emphasized the crisis response strategies identified by China National Heavy Duty Truck.
Specifically, in the Middle East and other regions that entered earlier and have a relatively large market share, local dealers should be given confidence in the development, communicate with them at any time, understand the actual needs of consumers, and make appropriate sales strategies based on consumer psychology. . The local distributors will not be completely restricted by the manufacturers in the market promotion, and even have a certain degree of autonomy. Liu Qingsheng told Autobots that China National Heavy Duty Truck Co., Ltd. will generally adopt different modes of cooperation according to different markets. For example, given a market guide price, dealers can make discretionary decisions based on reserved price fluctuation space; or The uniqueness of the market is solely delegated to dealers.
"Overall, the current profitability of Sinotruk overseas dealers has not been affected too much by the financial crisis, because in a long-term market, from inventory control to marketing plans, I think the local distributors are still Very mature," said Liu Qingsheng.
He further disclosed that in 2007, after entering the South African market for the first time, in 2008, the African sector grew to be China National Heavy Duty Truck's best performing export market. "This is related to the region. The entire African continent is in a period of economic growth with strong demand. This year's financial crisis has also had a relatively small impact on African countries." At present, China's Sinotruk's African orders are relatively good, if we Taking into account the political background of China-Africa’s strengthening of economic and trade cooperation, Africa’s outlook as the emerging export market of China’s heavy-duty steam is undoubtedly bright.
It is also due to the "two-legged walk" strategy to cope with the crisis. According to China National Heavy Duty Truck's plan, two KD assembly bases will be built overseas this year, at least one in the Middle East and Africa, to build more outlets, guaranteeing Overseas strategies also have to bear fruit in the crisis. According to Liu Qingsheng, “We will make a gradient change chart according to the situation in the second half of the year and possible changes. What to do this year and what to do next year will have a general arrangement. The specific investment needs the group to re Determined."
The surprise attack of the financial crisis has caused many people to worry about China’s commercial vehicle companies going abroad. However, Liu Qingsheng has a different view on current overseas exports, because temporary difficulties will not affect the overall development of the overall situation.
"Chinese products are going global, after all, it's just a matter of a few years. Maybe we have achieved some results in some regions, but we still have a lot of undeveloped regions." He explained by example, 53 countries in Africa, but now exports annual sales. Countries that can reach more than 1,000 vehicles are also four or five. “The space for overseas development is very large. In some regions, we try to control its decline. In areas where there is no development, we want to Discover its consumption potential."
Network first
Recalling the overseas work experience of the past few years, Liu Qingsheng has deep feelings. Because compared to foreign heavy truck manufacturers, China's commercial vehicle companies can only be regarded as a "newcomer", even if China National Heavy Duty Truck as a leader in China's commercial vehicle exports, there is also a large gap. Whether it is the traditional area or the emerging market, the first thing Liu Qingsheng and his colleagues do is to pay attention to the local sales service network of competitors. “The advantage of these products is that they enter the market earlier and they Psychology is more understanding, and their network layout and service philosophy are worth learning from,†he said.
However, unlike the Western countries' agency systems in overseas markets, Sinotruk has built its own dealer system. Liu Qingsheng explained: “Product manufacturers need to increase their participation in and communication with sales services. Dealers have the right to set their own price system, and have greater urgency and investment in the market. It is necessary to ensure that manufacturers have product introductions. The initiative and the market grasp the initiative, so that we will have a certain degree of control over the development of overseas business, after all, we have not entered the international market for a long time, brand awareness compared to foreign manufacturers still have a certain distance, must Control risks.†After reaching an agreement with each partner, China Sinotruk will strictly follow the procedures to sign the agreement. In the earlier period, related departments will conduct work audits and develop overseas standards at the suggestion of the expert team. “Our purpose It is from the outset of the intervention in the local market that it will be more advanced, more standardized and, after laying the foundation, it will be gradually pushed forward."
China National Heavy Duty Truck conducts business in each of the different overseas regions. The first is to put the network first. Liu Qingsheng said: "No matter which partner, no network we will never consider, because there is no network can not support the market, we are not simply selling the car, but in the local market share and brand "Well, word of mouth." Therefore, many powerful companies including South Africa's super group have become Sinotruk's local partners. This has indeed helped China National Heavy Duty Trucks quickly establish sales and service channels in the country.
Of course, it is not only the power of local collaborators that the network must fully play its role in competitiveness. China National Heavy Duty Truck regularly formulates detailed training plans every year while sending product information to overseas outlets in an electronic format. It arranges engineers and technicians from overseas markets to go to Jinan Training Base to carry out business enhancements, and some key markets for one year Even more than one group of people went to Jinan for training. Although the high cost of training includes return expenses, all are borne by China National Heavy Duty Truck, but Liu Qingsheng frankly stated that the information returned through overseas outlets is less than the status of previous training. Products have a better understanding and can better serve consumers.
Confidence in crisis
The worse the situation, the greater the need for commercial vehicle companies to amplify their actions. Of course, this “magnification†is not blindly expanding investment. After all, the risk still exists. “There is no market without services. This is the reason why the global automobile market is universal. Our export business is now carried out jointly with overseas partners. Therefore, this year, Sinotruk must continue to increase its support for local distributors and coordinate with them. Fortunately, the country's network layout," Liu Qingsheng told the "car man."
At one time, China National Heavy Duty Truck had a shortage of overseas accessories, resulting in the maintenance of export models can not meet the needs of local consumers in a timely manner. But now, similar incidents will hardly happen again. "The lack of fittings is a very serious problem. This will affect our reputation in the local market and the losses caused are incalculable," Liu Qingsheng said. "We ask for a distributor. The partners must fully prepare the accessories, while the dealers buy the cars, at the same time, Sinotruk will start the related parts support work, for example, the accessories will leave the car, or the parts will be delivered before then.We will then according to the local market. The amount of ownership, according to the types of models introduced at different stages in advance parts arrangements. Of course, in order to support the development of the local market, we will also give away a part of free accessories."
He further added that China National Heavy Duty Truck has set up a representative office in certain mature regions to carry out a series of work such as sales, service, and accessories management, which has improved the efficiency of communication in related work. Moreover, Sinotruk is currently negotiating with the mainland Chinese banks and hopes to seek financial support in some overseas regions where RMB settlement is carried out to reduce the negative impact of exchange rate changes on companies.
At the same time, Sinotruk also actively studied the possibility of overseas investment in construction, joint ventures and joint ventures. "Maybe there will be a series of promotion work by the end of this year, provided that the requirements are mature, because if the market has not reached a certain size, the joint venture The cost of establishing a plant is necessarily higher, and it is not as straightforward as introducing a product. However, no matter where the time node is, this must be our direction of development."
Under the turmoil of the financial crisis, Liu Qingsheng is most proud of the fact that even if overseas demand has fallen sharply, there has been no overseas partner withdrawing from China Sinotruk's sales network. With the accumulation of corporate brands in overseas markets in recent years, there are More and more overseas distributors and even overseas accessories dealers actively find CNHTC and hope to establish a cooperative relationship. “From the past, we did not understand the current high degree of recognition that Sinotruk has gained a great reputation in overseas markets and even represented the benchmark of the heavy truck industry in China. Our product competitiveness is not limited to cost-effectiveness, brand, and quality. Both services are in line with international standards, and with the rapid development of China's domestic market, they can see the long-term hopes." Liu Qingsheng did not hide his inner pride.
“Sinotruk has been the largest exporter of commercial vehicles in China for four years in a row. Last year we exported 15,000 vehicles. Our plan this year is the same as last year's export sales. When everyone goes down, we have proved that we are still Growth. Now that the past five months have passed, our goal will remain unchanged." Liu Qingsheng's words are loud and sound, as Chairman Ma Chun-chi has stressed, "If you do not do international markets, companies will not be able to make rapid progress."
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