Unite as One and Strive Forward—ASIMCO Camshaft (Yizheng) Co., Ltd. Awards Ceremony 2020

Dongfeng Cummins On December 8, 2020, the DCEC 2020 Supplier Conference, themed “Unite as One, Quality Wins the Future,” was held in Hefei. Chen Aiguo, General Manager of ASIMCO Camshaft, was invited to attend. At the conference, General Manager Xu Daqian shared with the attendees Cummins’ impressive achievements in 2020: the company is on track to sell 206,000 engines this year. Seizing new opportunities for development, General Manager Xu expressed his hope that all suppliers would work closely with Cummins, focusing on quality and collaborative R&D, so that their growth could align with Cummins’ own, fostering mutual benefit, integration, and win-win outcomes. ASIMCO Camshaft is a strategic supplier for Dongfeng Cummins; in 2020, thanks to its outstanding quality performance, it was awarded the “Best Quality Award” by Dongfeng Cummins. Guangxi Cummins On December 17, 2020, amid the year-round spring-like beauty of Kunming and the shimmering waters of Dianchi Lake, Guangxi Foton Cummins grandly hosted a supplier conference themed “Join Hands to Overcome Difficulties, Collaborate to Drive Development.” Zhou Quan, Deputy General Manager of ASIMCO Camshaft, was invited to attend. In 2020, Guangxi Cummins achieved cumulative sales of 48,000 engines, with an installed capacity forecast of 53,500 units for 2021. ASIMCO Camshaft supplies camshafts for the B-series engines, earning customer recognition through first-class quality and service. Despite the sudden outbreak of the pandemic at the beginning of the year, ASIMCO Camshaft made every possible effort to ensure supply, achieving a 100% delivery rate and zero-defect quality throughout the year—earning it the “Outstanding Delivery Award” from Guangxi Cummins for 2020. Foton Cummins On December 23, 2020, Foton Cummins held a supplier conference in Haikou, Hainan, themed “Premium Products, Creating Value, Forging Value, Winning the Future.” Chen Aiguo, General Manager of ASIMCO Camshaft, was invited to attend, where he delivered a report titled “Premium Products, Creating Value, Forging Value, Winning the Future.” As a global strategic partner of Cummins, ASIMCO Camshaft currently supplies camshafts for the full range of Foton Cummins engines. In 2020, ASIMCO Camshaft pooled its strongest resources to fully support Cummins in developing China VI-compliant products, ensuring adherence to project delivery schedules, quantities, and quality requirements. This laid a solid foundation for Cummins to achieve 320,000 units of installed capacity in 2020. With a 100% delivery rate and zero-defect quality, ASIMCO Camshaft was awarded the “Best Delivery Award” by Foton Cummins for 2020.

Senior Director of Procurement at Shanghai FAW-Hongqi Visits ASIMCO Camshaft

On October 13, 2020, Shen Feng, Deputy Director of Procurement at Shanghai FAW-Volkswagen, along with two other colleagues, paid a visit to ASIMCO Camshaft. Mr. Chen Aiguo, General Manager of the Camshaft Company, extended a warm welcome to the guests. Mr. Zhou Quan, Deputy General Manager, briefed the visitors on the development history of ASIMCO Camshaft and provided a detailed overview of the company’s cooperation with Shanghai FAW-Volkswagen and IVECO. He also showcased the technological advantages and future prospects of modular Camshafts. Accompanied by Mr. Chen and Mr. Zhou, the guests toured the company’s machining production lines and testing laboratories, with particular focus on the C9, C11, and C13 Camshaft production lines. This allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of the product manufacturing processes and inspection procedures. The guests highly praised the company’s on-site production management and commended its robust quality control system. Mr. Shen emphasized that ASIMCO Camshaft is a strategic supplier for Shanghai FAW-Volkswagen and that, in line with the principle of win-win cooperation, the two parties should strengthen regular communication and collaboration going forward. At the same time, ASIMCO needs to rapidly expand its production capacity to meet Shanghai FAW-Volkswagen’s growing demand, thereby further accelerating and enhancing the development of their mutual business.

ASIMCO Camshaft Party Branch Conducts Thematic Education on “Staying True to Our Original Aspiration and Keeping Our Mission Firmly in Mind” and Distributes “Original Aspiration Memorial Books”

In accordance with the deployment requirements of the Party Committee of the Automotive Industrial Park for the thematic education campaign, on the afternoon of October 14, the Party branch of ASIMCO Camshaft (Yizheng) Co., Ltd. held a thematic education activity titled “Staying True to Our Original Aspiration and Keeping Our Mission Firmly in Mind” in Conference Room 211. The main content of the Party class was the “four re-” educational approach required by the thematic education campaign—“re-reading the application for Party membership, re-pledging to join the Party, re-recalling the experience of joining the Party, and re-examining our original aspiration for joining the Party.” Zhou Quan, Secretary of the company’s Party branch, selected patriotic propaganda and education clips such as “Loyalty” and the “12-Minute High-Definition Video of the Founding Ceremony of the People’s Republic of China” for the Party members to watch and study. Through viewing these films and engaging in study, he further

Go All Out in the Fourth Quarter, Aim for New Heights

2020 is destined to be an extraordinary year. At the beginning of the year, the sudden COVID-19 pandemic plunged most industries and enterprises into a market slump. Under the wise leadership of our management team, we bucked the trend: all employees united as one, strictly adhered to epidemic prevention requirements, resumed work and production while ensuring safety, effectively met supply demands, and earned high praise from customers both at home and abroad. Now it’s golden autumn, and the Camshaft Plant remains bustling with activity. Customers are ramping up production and orders are overflowing, leading to tight delivery schedules. For example, the daily installation volume of Weichai series products has increased by 70% compared with the past—quite a challenge for the company. In response, management convened an emergency meeting to adjust the production strategy. With the concerted support of the technology, quality control, and production departments, we expanded capacity, optimized efficiency, pursued lean operations, and boosted output. The workshop held a mobilization rally to inspire everyone to stay motivated and foster the mindset that hard work must be smart work. To accelerate deliveries, we focused on key processes, weak links, and critical areas, ensuring that every step is supervised and every task is assigned to a responsible person. The quality control department maintained strict oversight in testing and inspection, keeping pace with production; the busier it got, the more meticulous it became, nipping quality risks in the bud and providing solid assurance for producing every high-quality camshaft. Thanks to the efforts of all employees, the company’s sales and production from January to September increased by 37% year-on-year, delivering an inspiring result and bringing the first three quarters of 2020 to a successful close. As we enter the fourth quarter, customer demand remains strong. The company has set new annual targets and is rallying everyone’s energy. All employees are maintaining high morale, racing against time, and committing to 100 days of intensive effort. Sustained high output presents yet another challenge for the camshaft team. We will hold our ground and fight hard at our respective posts, embracing the “axle” spirit of fearlessness and resilience to tackle the fourth quarter head-on. We will spare no effort to win the tough battle of production and delivery in the fourth quarter and contribute our share to achieving and surpassing the annual budget.

Grounded in Our Core Responsibilities, Seeking Opportunities for Improvement—Pursuing the Spirit of Craftsmanship

The “Shuowen Jiezi” records: “Jiang refers to a carpenter.” Today, the character “jiang,” as a term, has long since evolved from its original meaning of a woodworker to become a symbol of ingenuity, superb craftsmanship, and relentless dedication to learning and improvement. As our company continues to grow in scale and both production and sales consistently reach new heights, it is increasingly important for our functional departments to enhance their capabilities across the board, advance together with the enterprise, fully tap into everyone’s initiative, identify even the smallest opportunities for improvement, elevate the quality of departmental work, and provide outstanding support for production. Reducing Physical Labor Intensity and Enhancing Testing Efficiency With the increase in production output, the frequency of inspections has also risen. Some steel shaft products are “large and heavy”—in earlier processes, individual pieces can weigh between 20 and 40 kilograms. During each inspection, two testers must work together to lift these components onto the three-coordinate measuring machine’s worktable, a task that poses risks to both personnel safety and equipment integrity. In response, we pooled our ideas and made use of existing resources to build a compact, single-person-operated hoist. This innovation eliminated safety hazards, reduced the time required for manual handling by two people, and significantly improved testing efficiency. In the hole-system machining process, which involves multi-station operations, the initial inspection for each product batch typically requires sending four or eight shafts at a time. With conventional three-coordinate measurement, each shaft must be inspected one by one, resulting in considerable waiting time. Our quality-testing team analyzed the actual spatial constraints of the three-coordinate machine and determined the feasibility of simultaneous inspection at four stations. We modified the fixture for one station into a four-station fixture and developed a batch-processing inspection method. After numerous trials and validations, we ultimately achieved the simultaneous inspection of four stations for the same type of product, thereby boosting testing efficiency and streamlining the operational process. Leveraging Existing Resources to Enhance Service Quality Sales of export products have increased substantially, and customer requirements now mandate ZDM control; as a result, ADCOLE inspection has become a bottleneck process. To address this, we internally explored ways to repurpose the ADCOLE 1310 inspection equipment. Originally designed specifically for roundness, phase, and stroke measurements on VIKING-series shafts, this equipment is not universally applicable. The supplier estimated that a full retrofit would cost US$100,000. However, during the summer break when most staff were off duty, our quality department members rolled up their sleeves, overcame numerous challenges, conducted extensive research, and carried out repeated tests. Ultimately, they successfully adapted the equipment to inspect AVALON-series products, keeping costs under RMB 10,000 while doubling inspection efficiency and effectively resolving the bottleneck in testing for the export AVLAON line. The soul of quality lies in artisanal dedication. Our company is home to a group of “artisans” who diligently hone their skills, perform their duties with utmost care, and constantly push beyond their own limits. They are working tirelessly to ensure the healthy, sustainable, and high-quality development of our company and to realize our vision of building a world-class enterprise.

Practical Techniques for Implementing 5S — ASIMCO Camshaft Launches On-site Management “Red Tag Campaign”

On the afternoon of July 2, 2020, ASIMCO Camshaft (Yizheng) Co., Ltd. launched its semi-annual “Red Tag Operation” campaign. Under the leadership of the General Manager and the respective Deputy General Managers in charge, all departmental staff across the company were divided into zones to participate in on-site identification activities at the production front line. At the scene, they made immediate decisions and implemented quantitative planning and 5S initiatives, ensuring that every employee had a designated area of responsibility. The “Red Tag Operation” is the foundation of 5S management. During 5S activities, red tags are affixed to items that are unnecessary or slated for removal from the production area. This operation involves using red tags to identify “problem areas” in each zone, enabling any employee to quickly spot issues and take corrective actions, thereby achieving rapid and effective improvements. This “Red Tag Operation” campaign pooled the collective wisdom of employees. Through on-site inspections, sorting, and tidying, a total of 188 problem areas requiring rectification were identified and tagged, effectively saving space, reducing waste, and making operations more accessible, organized, and manageable. Moreover, the on-site inspection revealed that a grinding machine on the VIKING line could be repurposed for a new production line planned for this year, which not only saved investment funds but also put idle equipment to good use, thereby reducing production and operational costs to some extent. By organizing the “Red Tag Operation,” the aim is to truly benefit both employees and the company, embed 5S management deeply in the hearts of every employee, continuously identify and solve problems, and integrate ongoing 5S improvements into a positive PDCA cycle, ensuring that improvement is an endless process.

Reaffirming the Party Oath to Strengthen Rational Convictions

July 1, 2020 marked the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and on that afternoon, the Party branch of ASIMCO Camshaft (Yizheng) Co., Ltd. held a themed event titled “Revisiting the Oath of Joining the Party, Firmly Upholding Rational Beliefs” to celebrate the 99th anniversary. First, all party members reviewed the development history of the Communist Party of China, studied the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches in recent years, and revisited the oath of joining the party. With their right hands raised high and solemn expressions, they recited: “I voluntarily join the Communist Party of China, uphold the Party’s program, abide by the Party’s constitution…” This is the oath that every party member must observe; it serves as a bright guiding light.

Environmental Protection Equipment Upgraded Again to Ensure the Company’s Healthy and Green Development — A Record of Noise Reduction Retrofit for On-Furnace Dust Collection Equipment

Since smelting, pouring, and molding processes are prone to generating fumes and dust, the casting industry often gives people a dirty first impression. To thoroughly eradicate these persistent problems, dust collection during molding and pouring has been effectively addressed; however, several attempts to control fumes at the smelting station have not been very successful. After conducting a thorough investigation, the company ultimately decided to invest over RMB 1.5 million in NIDEC’s furnace-front dust collection system. By designing a dust hood that completely covers the furnace opening, the system prevents fumes from dispersing uncontrollably and captures nearly 100% of the fumes generated during smelting, achieving excellent results and completely eliminating the previous phenomenon of thick smoke billowing from the furnace opening during smelting. After implementing this dust collection equipment, the issue of smelting fume emissions has been effectively resolved. The workshop no longer carries the former smell of fumes; however, the outdoor unit of the dust collector has a significant drawback—high noise levels—resulting in “noise pollution” as a new problem. Therefore, in May of this year, the company carried out soundproofing modifications on the outdoor unit of the dust collector by erecting a soundproof wall around it and applying sound-insulating materials. Following the renovation, noise measurements at the factory boundary showed that the noise level had steadily dropped from the pre-renovation range of 58–59 decibels to below 54 decibels, meeting the standard requirement that nighttime noise at the factory boundary should not exceed 55 decibels. After the modification, people passing near the outdoor unit of the dust collector during working hours can hardly hear any noticeable noise anymore. Today, the state vigorously promotes ecological civilization construction, and environmental protection has become a top priority for enterprises. Corporate development must never come at the expense of the environment. ASIMCO Camshaft has always strived to ensure that all waste emissions, including noise, meet regulatory standards, thereby achieving safe, green, and environmentally friendly production. We will never allow environmental issues to become an obstacle to corporate development. In recent years, through continuous improvements and enhancements to our internal conditions, we have laid a solid foundation for sustainable, green development.