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.

Take a broad view while starting with the details, and help production reach new heights.

2020 was an extraordinary year. At the beginning of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic dampened market demand; however, starting in March, customer orders surged, followed by a flurry of new product development requests. The Camshaft team closely monitored market fluctuations and customer needs, united as one, and driven by the unwavering commitment to “never lose a single shaft” and a spirited fighting spirit, they fully met customer demands and ensured on-time delivery. The company’s quality team leveraged its initiative to refine and concretize services for customers and production: In terms of improving inspection efficiency, with the increasing variety of products and tight delivery schedules, the team worked within existing resources to enhance the efficiency of process quality monitoring. Inspection engineers analyzed inspection procedures and studied the cycle time of each operation, striving to reduce idle travel while ensuring the safety of inspection equipment, thereby minimizing waste during the inspection process through repeated testing. In supporting new product development, engineers proactively prepared quality control software and hardware, conducting repeated verification and confirmation, and remained on call around the clock during production to ensure that qualified new products flowed smoothly through each process step. Meanwhile, engineers designed and improved quick-check fixtures on-site, such as specialized gauges for measuring cam height and runout gauges for bar stock journals, enabling operators to work quickly, accurately, and reliably, thus boosting work efficiency while maintaining strict quality control. Regarding product quality improvement: This year, the company has seen rapid growth in China VI-compliant products. During the capacity ramp-up phase, various unexpected issues may arise, potentially leading to product scrap and wasted production capacity. To address this, the company established three quality improvement project teams, each focusing on monitoring and enhancing three key China VI products. The teams meticulously examine every piece of scrap and every set of product inspection data, analyzing problems and identifying gaps to fill them. When encountering an issue, they ask “Why?” five times to get to the root cause—for example, a loose fixture, an oversight in an inspection item, an operator error, or an unreasonable design... The goal is to translate quality improvement efforts into actionable steps at the shop floor level, optimize work processes, and elevate product quality. The company actively pursues its ultimate quality objective: enabling employees to effortlessly meet product requirements in their daily work. In terms of rational resource allocation: ADCOLE and BHN inspections in the Quality Department are bottleneck processes, utilizing world-class inspection equipment that is both expensive and time-consuming to procure, with high operational requirements. During the current high-production phase, Quality Control Department inspection engineers have provided rigorous, professional training to all department staff. While fulfilling their core responsibilities, everyone voluntarily extends working hours to support testing room operations, maximizing the utilization value of the equipment while ensuring equipment safety and accurate test results. Every stage of quality control—such as process inspections, precision testing, cleanliness checks, incoming material inspections, and outgoing inspections—is fully staffed, with everyone diligently performing their duties to support the company’s production, delivery, and quality control, contributing their wisdom and hard work. Facing the current market situation—a sweeping tide that separates the chaff from the wheat—the company team seizes opportunities and remains at the forefront: we must win over customers and capture market share with high-quality products and services. Each department and every individual must stay firmly aligned with the company’s goals, meticulously and effectively performing their own duties, and, while ensuring product quality standards, strive for a bountiful harvest of high output!

Encouragement and gratitude from customers

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought catastrophe to all of humanity and plunged the global economy into crisis; yet, thanks to a distinguished roster of customers—including Foton Cummins, Dongfeng Cummins, Guangzhou Cummins, and Weichai—we have turned this adversity into opportunity and achieved growth against the odds. Upholding a customer-centric approach across the organization, we have fought the pandemic while maintaining high production levels, helping our OEM customers achieve extraordinary growth and earning their heartfelt gratitude. Our customers’ praise is the company’s greatest honor and will inspire us to redouble our efforts to serve them even better, becoming the partner they trust most.

The company’s automation initiative has been fully launched, resulting in a significant boost in operational efficiency.

Anhui Hualing Guests Visit ASIMCO Camshaft

On April 24, 2020, a delegation of four, including Jiang Yiqun, Executive Deputy General Manager of the Engine Division of Anhui Hualing Automobile Co., Ltd., and Yang Xuewen, Deputy Chief Engineer and Head of Materials, visited ASIMCO Camshaft (Yizheng) Co., Ltd. The visit was warmly received by Chen Aiguo, General Manager of the company, Zhou Quan, Deputy General Manager of Sales, and Dai Hongxing, Deputy General Manager of Technology and Quality. In April, as the epidemic situation gradually stabilized and major OEMs resumed work one after another, Hualing Automobile also entered its peak demand season. The engine division of Hualing Automobile reported a substantial increase in demand over the past few months and urged ASIMCO Camshaft to ensure 100% on-time delivery of orders, while also setting specific requirements for the development progress of the modular Camshaft. As the exclusive Camshaft supplier for Hualing Automobile’s engines, our company has maintained stable production and improved efficiency while actively fighting the epidemic, making every effort to meet customer needs. Following discussions, the two parties have agreed on a new delivery schedule. With the aim of creating value for customers and enhancing product design quality, the modular Camshaft developed by our company for Hualing engines has successfully passed the customer’s bench testing and is scheduled to begin small-batch deliveries. Mr. Jiang and his delegation from Hualing Automobile’s engine division expressed their recognition and appreciation for our company’s production operations and the application of new product technologies, further strengthening the excellent cooperative relationship between ASIMCO Camshaft and Anhui Hualing Automobile.