Cummins ISZ Project Team Visits ASIMCO Camshaft

On April 6, 2017, Zhou Aicheng, Project Leader of Cummins ISZ; Sun Bin, Design Director; Lü Lanlan, Materials Engineer; and Gong Yuzhen, Procurement Manager of DCEC, paid a special visit to ASIMCO Camshaft. The ISZ is a 13-liter heavy-duty truck engine. To meet the requirements for emission upgrades and weight reduction, the Camshaft has been reduced from its original 21.5 kg to 11.5 kg while still complying with China VI standards. The main purpose of this visit by Cummins experts was to jointly discuss with ASIMCO Camshaft the material, structure, and technical challenges of the Camshaft for this project, with the aim of significantly improving engine performance. During the visit, Cummins experts and ASIMCO’s camshaft technical team also exchanged views on future trends in new materials and technologies for camshafts. Both sides agreed that modular camshafts represent one of the future development trends, and that modular camshafts are a key new product our company is currently focusing on in R&D. Ultimately, the Z project has designated modular camshafts as an alternative solution for this project. The first batch of Alpha prototypes for the Z project will be delivered on June 15, 2017. The Cummins experts expressed their sincere gratitude to ASIMCO Camshaft for its support on the new project, particularly noting that the efficient technical exchanges between the two parties in the early stages have ensured steady and timely progress of the project.

Cummins GLDP Trainees Visit and Exchange at ASIMCO Camshaft

On April 6, a delegation of 15 GLDP trainees from Cummins visited ASIMCO Camshaft for a tour and exchange. The visit was hosted by General Manager Chen Aiguo and other company leaders. On behalf of all employees, Mr. Chen extended a warm welcome to the Cummins guests and expressed gratitude for Cummins’ arrangement of this visit, which is the result of many years of friendly cooperation between the two sides and reflects their trust in and recognition of our company. Prior to the on-site tour, Mr. Chen provided an overview of the company’s current operations and gave a detailed briefing on the upcoming Phase III plant, which is being built to expand production capacity and meet the growing demands of our customers. During the on-site visit, the guests raised numerous questions about various aspects of the company’s operations, including on-site management, process flows, product traceability, and quality standards. We addressed each question one by one. In turn, the Cummins representatives shared their own practices and approaches to these same issues as a reference for us. This demonstrates that our relationship with Cummins is characterized by complete openness, and that our strong cooperative partnership is built on mutual trust. The well-organized work environment, the highly motivated team, and the warm corporate culture all left a deep impression on the visitors. As one of our most important customers, we will continue to enhance our management practices in accordance with Cummins’ standards and requirements, so as to better meet their needs.

ASIMCO Cam Wins Cummins China’s 2016 Best New Product Support Award

In March 2017, our company was awarded the “2016 Cummins China Best New Product Support Award.” Cummins China’s annual Supplier Excellence Awards recognize outstanding suppliers that have achieved exceptional results in areas such as new product support, delivery performance, quality improvement, quality performance, collaborative cooperation, and social responsibility. Over the years, our company and Cummins have worked together through a series of initiatives—including developing new products, collaborating on innovation, improving quality, and reducing customer complaints—to provide users with the most competitive products and services on the market. In the R&D of new product projects, we have consistently adopted an OPEN-style approach to communication and collaboration, which has earned high recognition and praise from Cummins. During the product development phase, we worked closely with our customers to address numerous design verification and improvement projects. The Camshaft performed exceptionally well in various tests, leaving our customers highly satisfied. In particular, the Camshaft developed last year for the North American M engine underwent rigorous 800,000-kilometer testing, with user feedback rating its performance as “None defect” and “Excellent.” Survival of the fittest is the law of nature; winning in competition is the rule of business. Looking ahead, we will continue to serve more large international clients. Our goal is to transform our R&D capabilities into our customers’ competitive edge, continuously creating value for users—this has always been our company’s unwavering mission and guiding principle.

Unite as one and pool our strengths to win the tough battle for high yields.

In the just-concluded month of February, Camshaft employees once again set a new monthly output record exceeding RMB 16 million—despite the fact that February comprised only 28 calendar days. With the market steadily recovering, orders have grown significantly, driving a sharp surge in product demand. In particular, demand for steel Camshafts has skyrocketed, with monthly sales growth consistently exceeding 50%. Product sales demand continues to shatter previous records, relentlessly pushing the company’s production capacity to its limits. How should staff be scheduled? How should workstations be allocated? Each and every detailed task is putting the production team’s nerves to the test. To address this, the production system has formulated a high-output operational plan, aiming to maximize production efficiency through scientific scheduling, on-site improvements, and collaborative support. From the general manager down to frontline workers, production, technical, and workshop management personnel are all working together to find solutions, making full use of any remaining time within existing equipment and processes, seizing every available opportunity, outsourcing certain processes when necessary, implementing measures such as rotating shifts without shutting down machines, and striving to maximize capacity. The company’s second-line staff are providing full support to frontline production, assisting where they can. Many second-line managers were once frontline production workers; although their roles have changed, they remain deeply committed to production. When certain auxiliary processes face staffing shortages, second-line employees step in without hesitation to provide “firepower reinforcement.” Unity is strength; when everyone pulls together, the resulting energy is truly remarkable. The busy month of February flew by in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a new milestone: the company’s highest-ever monthly output of RMB 16.68 million. Remarkably, the production plan was overfulfilled—a testament to the collective efforts of everyone involved. Throughout this arduous battle, every Camshaft employee has demonstrated superhuman perseverance in shouldering the immense burden of maintaining high output. Let us ride the rapids together and hoist our sails in unison. Faced with robust market demand, we must seize the opportunity: “pool our strengths, break bottlenecks, and ensure on-time delivery” to achieve a comprehensive victory in maintaining high output!

Company Awards for Key Improvement Projects in 2016

This month, the company summarized the completion status of its key improvement projects for 2016 and, in accordance with the company’s relevant procedural documents and based on the benefits achieved by each project, awarded corresponding incentives. A total of 13 improvement projects were recognized, including two related to equipment upgrades, two to automation upgrades, three to production-line efficiency improvements, and six to product-quality enhancements, with total rewards amounting to nearly RMB 100,000. In 2016, the company launched a series of key improvement initiatives centered on cost reduction and efficiency enhancement, actively tapping into the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of its employees. Cost reduction and efficiency gains were integrated throughout the company’s entire production, operations, and management processes. The improvement proposals submitted covered multiple areas, including processes, equipment, technology, and management, demonstrating strong operability and practicality. The projects that have been successfully implemented have delivered significant benefits in production and operations. The only constant in business is continuous improvement. Over several years of ongoing refinement and innovation, the company has achieved steady reductions in annual cost expenditures. As evidenced by the projects rewarded this time, simple managerial measures alone can no longer yield substantial gains; achieving cost reduction and efficiency enhancement now requires process optimization, automation upgrades, and improvements in product quality. With one quarter of 2017 already behind us, we will continue to align our efforts with our specific circumstances, pursue reform and innovation, and vigorously tap internal corporate potential. By intensifying energy conservation and consumption reduction, strengthening cost control, advancing technological innovation, and accelerating automation upgrades, we will comprehensively enhance the company’s overall competitiveness, further strengthen employees’ awareness of innovation, sense of responsibility, and execution capabilities, and ensure that the 2017 initiatives for cost reduction and efficiency enhancement are effectively implemented.

Cummins Expert Group Visits ASIMCO Camshaft

On February 15, 2017, a five-member expert team from Cummins headquarters—including Procurement Manager Niladri Sakar, Project Manager Kenny Lynch, Six Sigma Black Belt Chris Stevens, ABO Procurement Manager Bradley Xu, and Supervisor Shawn Tu—visited ASIMCO Camshaft to conduct comprehensive discussions on the company’s production capacity, the ZDM project, and the Manaus project. ASIMCO Camshaft General Manager Chen Aiguo, along with representatives from sales, engineering, and quality, hosted the Cummins delegation, and the two sides engaged in friendly exchanges on issues of mutual concern. The expert team toured ASIMCO Camshaft’s production facilities and commended the company’s site environment, logistics, and poka-yoke design. In line with world-class manufacturing standards, the experts also set forth new expectations and requirements for ASIMCO’s on-site management. The team heard a briefing from the Camshaft team on the progress of the ZDM project, covering the planning and schedule for testing equipment, the ZDM shop-floor layout, quality information flow, and poka-yoke design, and expressed satisfaction with the current work. Regarding grinding burn inspection, the experts introduced the most advanced control methods currently available internationally and recommended that these methods be applied to implement grinding-burn detection and control for the Manaus camshafts. Niladri also briefed the attendees on Cummins’ CPL (Preferred Supplier List), first launched in 2016. The CPL recognizes suppliers’ performance in delivery, cost, quality, and technical capability, identifying those who excel in core component supply. Out of more than 5,000 global suppliers, only a few dozen are selected for inclusion. Going forward, whenever Cummins—whether through wholly owned or joint-venture operations—develops new products, it will prioritize CPL-listed suppliers to undertake the development of corresponding components. At the same time, the CPL is dynamic: other suppliers can replace existing CPL members by demonstrating improvements. Entering the CPL is therefore a highly coveted goal for suppliers, leading to intense competitive pressure. He extended warm congratulations to ASIMCO Camshaft on its inclusion in the Cummins CPL. General Manager Chen expressed heartfelt gratitude for the guidance provided by the Cummins expert team and deep appreciation for Cummins’ trust, pledging that the ASIMCO Camshaft team will continue to strive for excellence and, as always, deliver high-quality products and services to Cummins, a world-class powertrain manufacturer. On February 15, 2017, a five-member expert team from Cummins headquarters—including Procurement Manager Niladri Sakar, Project Manager Kenny Lynch, Six Sigma Black Belt Chris Stevens, ABO Procurement Manager Bradley Xu, and Supervisor Shawn Tu—visited ASIMCO Camshaft to conduct comprehensive discussions on the company’s production capacity, the ZDM project, and the Manaus project. ASIMCO Camshaft General Manager Chen Aiguo, along with representatives from sales, engineering, and quality, hosted the Cummins delegation, and the two sides engaged in friendly exchanges on issues of mutual concern. The expert team toured ASIMCO Camshaft’s production facilities and commended the company’s site environment, logistics, and poka-yoke design. In line with world-class manufacturing standards, the experts also set forth new expectations and requirements for ASIMCO’s on-site management. The team heard a briefing from the Camshaft team on the progress of the ZDM project, covering the planning and schedule for testing equipment, the ZDM shop-floor layout, quality information flow, and poka-yoke design, and expressed satisfaction with the current work. Regarding grinding burn inspection, the experts introduced the most advanced control methods currently available internationally and recommended that these methods be applied to implement grinding-burn detection and control for the Manaus camshafts. Niladri also briefed the attendees on Cummins’ CPL (Preferred Supplier List), first launched in 2016. The CPL recognizes suppliers’ performance in delivery, cost, quality, and technical capability, identifying those who excel in core component supply. Out of more than 5,000 global suppliers, only a few dozen are selected for inclusion. Going forward, whenever Cummins—whether through wholly owned or joint-venture operations—develops new products, it will prioritize CPL-listed suppliers to undertake the development of corresponding components. At the same time, the CPL is dynamic: other suppliers can replace existing CPL members by demonstrating improvements. Entering the CPL is therefore a highly coveted goal for suppliers, leading to intense competitive pressure. He extended warm congratulations to ASIMCO Camshaft on its inclusion in the Cummins CPL. General Manager Chen expressed heartfelt gratitude for the guidance provided by the Cummins expert team and deep appreciation for Cummins’ trust, pledging that the ASIMCO Camshaft team will continue to strive for excellence and, as always, deliver high-quality products and services to Cummins, a world-class powertrain manufacturer.

Major Events of 2016

Cummins Headquarters Experts Visit ASIMCO Camshaft

From December 6 to 8, 2016, Mr. Pablo, Senior Product Engineer for the M Project at Cummins Headquarters, Mr. Eric, Quality Engineer, and Mr. Tu Xiaodong from ABO SQI in Shanghai—totaling three people—visited ASIMCO Camshaft Co., Ltd. The Alpha prototype for the M Project has successfully passed the most stringent 500-hour overspeed test, with no issues whatsoever on the Camshaft, demonstrating excellent performance. The primary purpose of this visit was to conduct foundational research on future drawing upgrades, while both parties also formulated a detailed implementation plan for continuous improvement regarding product characteristics of mutual concern. The guests toured the production workshop and the precision testing laboratory, gaining an in-depth understanding of the control status and inspection items for each process step, and expressed their approval of the Camshaft’s process quality control. Through this exchange, both sides are fully confident in the project’s success. Since the launch of the M Project, weekly teleconferences and uninterrupted email communications have ensured that any issues arising during project progress are addressed promptly and efficiently, enabling the project to advance in a healthy and steady manner. Mr. Pablo expressed his sincere gratitude to ASIMCO Camshaft Co., Ltd. for its strong support of the M Project, while also commending the Camshaft team’s proactive and open attitude, as well as its ability to communicate effectively with customers and resolve problems.