Reporter Shang Qinglong

On September 16, the “2022 National Entrepreneur Activity Day and China Entrepreneur Annual Conference” hosted by the China Entrepreneurs Federation and the China Entrepreneurs Association was held in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, and Yuan Zhongxue, chairman of Sailun Group, was named the 2021-2022 National Outstanding Entrepreneur in this biennial national outstanding entrepreneur selection. As a “rubber veteran” with more than 50 years of experience, Yuan Zhongxue has always insisted on basic research as the foundation of the enterprise. The strong scientific research ability has enabled the Sailun Group led by him to achieve outstanding results – setting a number of firsts in the industry, solving many key core technical problems in the industry, and breaking the “devil’s triangle” liquid gold tires is the first in the world. Yuan Zhongxue, who is committed to realizing the dream of a tire powerhouse, and the Sailun Group under his leadership are making the dream of making a world-class tire made in China a reality step by step.

The rubber road of the “Teacher”

Qingdao University of Science and Technology is known as the “Huangpu of the rubber industry” and is the cradle of rubber industry talents. As early as 1988, Yuan Zhongxue began to be in charge of the school’s laboratory, responsible for the transformation of scientific research projects.

But with more and more breakthrough results, in addition to rejoicing, Yuan Zhongxue accumulated more and more distress and regret in her heart.

Although in order to transform the laboratory’s scientific research projects into products, the school has set up a special science and technology development company. But in ten years, more than a hundred projects have been transferred, and the success rate is extremely low. Sometimes, the whole project ends just because the entrepreneur retires or the enterprise is restructured.

Times make heroes. In 1999, in order to solve the problems of the school’s scientific research achievements that could not be transferred or could not be transferred well, Qingdao University of Science and Technology encouraged the reform of school-run enterprises, teachers to set up companies, and use the private system to do it themselves. Yuan Zhongxue and a group of teachers began to go out of the school and realize the transformation of the school’s scientific research achievements by establishing a joint-stock enterprise.

Yuan Zhongxue officially started her entrepreneurial journey, and an exciting entrepreneurial story has also begun.

Yuan Zhongxue, chairman of Sailun Group, was awarded the 2021-2022 National Outstanding Entrepreneur.

Scientific research is the foundation of life

In 2000, on the basis of the original school-run enterprise, Yuan Zhongxue first and her teachers self-financed Qingdao University Soft Control Co., Ltd. In 2001, Yuan Zhongxue became the chairman of Qingdao Soft Control. In 2002, Qingdao Soft Controls and other investors initiated the establishment of Qingdao Sailun Radial Tire Information Production Demonstration Base Co., Ltd., which is the predecessor of Sailun Group. Both companies are now well-known listed companies in Qingdao and leaders in their respective fields in the rubber industry.

Since the beginning of her business, Yuan Zhongxue, who came out of a university laboratory, has always regarded scientific research as the foundation of the enterprise.

Over the years, Sailun has been engaged in basic research and the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Especially in 2009, Sailun, together with Soft Control and Qingdao University of Science and Technology, undertook the construction of the National Rubber School and Tire Engineering Technology Research Center. After more than ten years of efforts, the National Oak Center has 7 research institutes, 64 professional research laboratories, 15 research institutes, as well as more than 3,000 patents, more than 1,200 invention patents and five international standards of China’s rubber industry, and has developed the world’s first chemical rubber new material – “liquid gold”, which has made outstanding contributions to promoting the transformation and development of the rubber industry to intelligence and high-end, and will play an important role in the country’s early realization of the goal of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”.

On the road of scientific research of Sailun, Yuan Zhongxue spares no effort in the pursuit of talents. Dr. Wang Mengjiao, who is currently the chief scientist of the National Rubber School and Tire Engineering Technology Research Center, was “invited” back by Yuan Zhongxue in every possible way. One is a doctor with core technology who wants to return to China to serve the motherland, and the other is a “professor entrepreneur” who wants to lead the revitalization of the industry, and the common ideal made the two meet and decide to do something for China’s rubber tire industry. In order to allow Dr. Wang Mengjiao to conduct scientific research with peace of mind after returning to China, Yuan Zhongxue raised funds to build a new scientific research building, which is dedicated to the basic research of rubber tires.

Mission and responsibility

This story of “Yu Boya’s bell period” in the rubber tire industry is also writing a good story to promote the high-quality development of China’s rubber industry. In the corporate culture of Sailun, there is always a mission and responsibility. Making a good tire is the mission of the enterprise. And making a world-class tire made in China is also the common dream of Yuan Zhongxue and Wang Mengjiao.

Driven by dreams, the pace of endeavor never stops.

In the only 20 years since its establishment, Sailun Group has achieved a number of industry firsts and solved a number of key core technical problems.

Sailun is the industry’s first “National Intelligent Manufacturing Pilot Demonstration Enterprise” and “National Industrial Internet Pilot Demonstration Enterprise”; It has built the world’s first rubber industry Internet platform “Rubber Chain Cloud”, which has also been recognized as a “characteristic industrial Internet platform for key industries” by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; It is the first tire enterprise in China to master the core technology of giant engineering radial tires and achieve large-scale production; The world’s first chemical rubber mixing technology is applied to develop and manufacture liquid gold tires that meet the highest level of the EU labeling regulations, AA grade.

The excellent performance and strong development momentum have also won more and more recognition for the wheel. In 2022, Sailun Tire has been listed in the “China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands” and “2021 China’s Top 500 Listed Companies in the Manufacturing Industry”. In the 2022 Global Top 75 Tire List, Sailun Tire also advanced again, rising two places in the ranking, ranking 15th among global tire companies.

The strength of a tire company can only provide a sample for the development of the industry, and Yuan Zhongxue, as the executive chairman of the China Rubber Industry Association, hopes to drive the development and growth of the entire industry. At the 2022 China Rubber Annual Conference, Yuan Zhongxue, as the executive chairman of the presidium enterprise, read out the industry self-discipline declaration on behalf of the association, which mentioned that China’s rubber tire industry enterprises should actively respond to the national strategy, help achieve the “double carbon” goal, strengthen environmental protection management, and strive to protect the green water and green mountains, and should also adjust and optimize the industrial structure, promote the comprehensive upgrading of the industry, adhere to innovation to lead development, enhance the scientific and technological strength of enterprises, implement brand promotion actions, and create the image of a rubber power.

Let the “rubber city” Qingdao lead China’s rubber industry into a new stage of high-quality development, and let China’s rubber industry stand on a new height in the world, this dream is gradually entering the reality.

News clue reporting channel: Download the “Qilu One Point” APP in the application market, or search for the WeChat mini program “Qilu One Point”, and 600 reporters in the province are waiting for you to report online!

Product Recommendation: industrial rubber casters