Shanghai Zhongya Piano Co., Ltd. is located in suburban of Qingpu District in Shanghai, where scenery is beautiful and the people are simple and honest. In more than a decade, all kinds of enterprises invested by foreign funds have been established here. The name of “Zhongya” has been always taking the important place in hearts of local people, and becoming better and better. The reason is not only the special position of “Zhongya” – established by investment from Yayu Group of Hongkong in 1993, and manufacturing piano, a symbol of “noble” – but also the great achievements “Zhongya” has gained in the past decade. At present, annual production is 20,000 pianos; output value is RMB 130,000,000 yuan, and tax and profit are more than RMB 20,000,000 yuan every year, coming out on top in profession of manufacturing piano in China and making a great contribution to local economy.

At the very beginning of investment to “Zhongya”, policy makers draw a brilliant blueprint for it; at the beginning of establishment, registered funds are US$ 6,400,000 and planning earth is 250 mu.

The development of an enterprise is decided by many factors, among which “good product” is a decisive factor. “Good product” is the result of combining technique and technology with management, etc.

I.                   Taking Science & Technology as the Foundation and Marching along the Regular Development of Large Enterprise

Piano comes from Europe, being developed for more than 300 years there. The technology of manufacturing the piano, however, has been only developed in China for 60 or 70 years. It takes a long time to develop the technology of manufacturing the piano in China because there was no completed technology in China at that time and handwork technology was not allowed to leak out.

When it was set up in 1993, the corporation was rather weak in all respects. Policy makers of the corporation, however, believed that the technical superiority is the most important for them to occupy market. Firstly, the corporation engaged several technological experts of the piano at home and abroad and improved the techniques of manufacturing the piano. Mr. GAO He, vice-general manager of the corporation and being charged of techniques, is among those experts. He has designed the piano under “piano computer supplementary system” successfully researched by himself. This system is to combine the traditional piano with basic science and modern technology, and to take mathematical analysis of the piano; all key parts of the piano have their accurate mathematical description and exact sites, making the design be science, accurate, fast and be easy revised. Secondly, this scientific result will be changed into laboring force immediately. Because all drawings are made by computer, they can be turned to technological service, be immediately changed into drawings at 1:1 with tools, model and tool of cards, and also can be changed into drawings at 1.01:1 with wood models which are used for casting iron plate, as well as into drawings at 1.02:1 with aluminium models; and coordinate data can be directly input to digital control machine tools to process spare parts.  And thirdly, the company has its creative technology which is unique both at home and abroad. Through the search by Shanghai Science and Technology Institute, the technology is regarded as the originated one at home and being near to the advanced international level. The piano designed and manufactured by this way has a good acoustics quality and is praised highly by lovers of the piano and famous experts, including Mr. LIU Shikun, both at home and abroad. Since 1999, the company has been titled “Advanced Technology Enterprise of Qingpu District”, rewarded the Golden Medal on the Fifth Science and Technology Fair Shanghai, and since 2003, titled “Shanghai Advanced Technology Foreign-funded Enterprise”.

Hardware equipments of Zhongya have been developed along with the development of technology, and also the important condition for standardized development. In 1997, a new assembly workshop of Zhongya was founded and put into production. This workshop, being 240 meters in length and 90 meters in width, is the largest plane workshop only with one storey. 12 general assembly flowing lines are put in the workshop; 1500 sets of bowstrings and 1200 pianos can move on the lines, while the first-class equipments are set here. Since the year when the corporation was put into production, the output of piano has increased at an annual rate of 50%, becoming a piano manufacturer with the speedy development, increasing benefits and highest rate of profits in China. And then, a new star in profession of manufacturing musical instrument appeared on the land of China.

II.          Zhongya takes “the excellent quality, the best service and the honest business” as the principle of management.

Along with the standardized development of the corporation, Zhongya has put forward the principle of development: quality first, good service, honest business”. Under this principle, Zhongya has practiced a strict system of management, closely supervising the whole process of manufacturing the piano. In 1999, the company was authenticated by the ISO9002 system of quality management, and in 2003, again by ISO9001: 2000 international system of quality, which aims at satisfying customers.

“Good Products” and “High Quality” must be guaranteed by excellent original materials. Our principle of choosing original materials is that: choosing real good materials and manufacturing excellent products. Not to use inferior materials is also our principle. In order to find quality wood materials needed of manufacturing the piano, leaders themselves at high level of the corporation went to  Changbai Mountain, where is rich in timber resources, to choose materials together with local experts. The materials used for piano wire, beat-string mallet, etc. are imported from foreign countries……

The “unusual” technology of manufacturing the quality piano should be matched up the unusual performance by the piano. On the every link of manufacturing the piano, Zhongya has the strict scientific and technological requirement and management, and does the best to pay attention to the special technological treatment. Just for wood treatment, the corporation imported 3 sets of dry pit at 50 cubic meters from Italy in early years, drying wood by scientific control on the whole process. In 2003, the corporation invested several million Yuan to found a large warehouse for putting dry plates on constant temperature, in order to solve the problem of wood after being dried.

“Being honest with everyone and everything”, honest will be our principle of business forever. Zhongya will always persist in honest with business whatever other companies do. Service after sales will be put into plan in advance wherever products are developed. It’s worth saying that in October 2002 at the Seminar of “Setting up a Honest and Standardized Piano Market” held by Zhongya Corporation, Mr.YE Yaodong, Chairman of Board and General Manager of the corporation introduced “Four Principles of Honest Business by Zhongya Piano Company Ltd.” to present leaders and experts: with honest business, Zhongya Company would ensure that all products provided by the company must be up to the international standard and company standard, and be at a fair price; the company would offer “three items of service after sales” from all respects; the company would register strictly all trade marks of our products, protect intellectual property right and patented technology, and never counterfeit others’ trade marks; at fixing a price on sales, the company would fix the price for its own products, never take secondary products as quality products and never cheat customers by reaping colossal profits.

Under this principle, the corporation not only gain the marked economic profits, becoming a well-known enterprise in the profession of musical instruments in China, but also win a good reputation in the locality. The corporation pays tax more than RMB 20,000,000 Yuan every year, becoming the local biggest taxpayer and winning many honorary titles, such as Outstanding Foreign-invested Enterprise on Paying Tax in Qingpu District, Shanghai Credibility Unit of Paying Tax at A Grade, etc.

III.       To Occupy more Markets by Quality and Brand

While improving the quality of the piano, Zhongya has been deliberating the best strategy of developing the corporation.

Competition in the market is that of brand finally; it’s a general rule of standardized a mature market. Zhongya has chosen the strategy of brand, for which it has made a sustained effort. Around 2000 when Zhongya was best developed, our brand was qualified the Famous Brand approved by authoritative organization of Shanghai. The piano of “Haiman” brand manufactured by the corporation was qualified as recommend product by Musical Instrument Association of Chinain 1999, and  entitled “Well-Known Product of Shanghai” from 2000 to 2003 and “Well-Known Trade Mark of Shanghai” from 2002 to 2004. The corporation actively propagated “Haiman” brand by special means:

1.To combine cultural organization with enterprise: in 2001, the corporation financially supported Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to hold 10 classical symphony concerts, such as “Night of Zhongya”, “Night of Haiman”, etc.

2.To join with education: in July 2002, the piano of “Haiman” brand was played as the appointed piano on the Haiman Cup Piano Competition on “330 Color Stage” for Students of Shanghai, and in Nov. 2003, on the “Haiman Cup Individual Piano Competition for Students of Shanghai”.

3.To be in company with  elegant art: in Nov.2003, “Haiman” piano was  played as the appointed piano during “The Fifth International Art Festival of China (Shanghai)”; and the corporation supported a symphony concert conducted by Mr. Aysinbaha, an international conductor.

4.To joint by medium: in August 2002, the corporation held Haiman brand Piano Competition of Xinjiang—“Voice of Zhongya”; in Oct.2002, had an Expert Seminar on Setting up a Standard and Honest Piano Market     and on Haiman Brand Piano.

The strategy of brand has promoted the development of Zhongya; Haiman brand piano manufactured by the corporation has occupied about 30% in the piano market of Shanghai in recent years.

IV.              To Train Talents and Practice Internal Technology

Zhongya thinks highly of talents because, in a sense, talents are closely related to success or failure of an enterprise. Zhongya has a long-term plan for the future. Around 2000, the corporation recruited a group of young talents at high level from universities, and after that, recruited some more every year. We aim at finding high quality talents who are fit with the development of the corporation and preparing for going up to the higher level in the future.

V.                 To March on Market of Quality Piano and Rise the Standard of Manufacturing Piano

Compare with piano factories with history of several decades or hundreds of years, Zhongya is a young brother only at ten years of age; but Zhongya has gained great achievements in the past ten years; and the corporation will aim at the higher level: “We will manufacture the more quality piano, ranking among the best of China and keeping up with the famous brands of the world!”

The corporation chose a speedy way to “import technology” in order to become all the rage in profession of manufacturing the piano in China and step up to a new level of manufacturing quality piano.

Germany—— a country of manufacturing piano with famous brand. In 2002, Yayu Group of mother corporation in Hongkong purchased and merged   German FEURICH Piano Co. with a history of 150 years, thus taking the first step for importing technologies and development of the corporation after that.

FEURICH Co. with a long history and the first-rate technology of manufacturing piano is still developed in Germany; senior technicians are still developing traditional technologies. After the merger, the corporation has spent one group of staff after another to Germany to work and study together with German technicians. According to the saying of Chairman of Board, staff spent abroad by the Corporation should learn from German not only their technologies but, more important, their spirit of doing anything with meticulous care; just with this spirit they can manufacture the quality piano. Every returned staff is deeply moved by the carefulness with work of German. They believe that not only with advanced designs but with their careful and unique technologies can German technicians make such high-quality piano. 

Besides spending staff to Germany, Chairman of Board of the corporation also invited technicians of FEURICH Co. to Shanghai for many times to give instruction to our staff. The grand pianos made with German technologies are praised by Austrian expert: “I have played the best grand piano in China up to now.” Zhongya has also got many long-term orders. In 2003, sales amount of exported pianos made by Zhongya increased by 15% than that in 2002.

In addition, Zhongya will set up another production line with high technology just like that in FEURICH Co., carry forward the brand of FEURICH, and, through efforts made by all staff of Zhongya, raise the level of manufacturing the piano of China.