Huawei company consultant Tian Tao interviewed hundreds of people from top to top employees from ordinary employees from Huawei to six years from 2013 to 2019, and gathered into a "Huawei Interview Record".
This article is excerpted from "Huawei Interview Record", a transcript of Tian Tao's dialogue with Li Jianguo, President of Huawei Manufacturing Department, on November 3, 2013. From the perspective of an executive who has worked at Huawei for more than 20 years, it tells the story of changes in Huawei's manufacturing, quality management, lean production, employee development mechanism and the implementation and impact of Huawei's self-critical values...
Zhenghedao is authorized by the author and CITIC Publishing Group.
Interviewer: Li Jianguo joined Huawei in 1993 and is currently the president of Huawei's manufacturing department
Interviewer: Tian Tao, a famous management scientist and senior consultant of Huawei company
Come Source: Zhenghe Island
01
Tian Tao: Today I want to communicate with you, and I can talk about everything, especially in manufacturing. Huawei's manufacturing has changed a lot in recent years.
Li Jianguo: Great companies often have great platforms. In the past, our manufacturing platform was decentralized, and customers said that we were home (home workshop)-style homework, and later normal (standard)-style, and now we are evolving automatically/intelligent. One advantage of the
sharing platform is that it can be inherited and developed to avoid the guerrilla style. Guerrillas and regular troops are different. Everyone's wisdom in the regular army is constantly improving and platform-oriented; the guerrillas will be guerrillas for ten thousand years, which is just a small hill. The regular army has a platform, sprinkle a layer of soil, tamp it, and then sprinkle a layer of soil, and tamp it again.
I understand that "soil" is the best practice. If you consolidate it, it is solidified and form a process; if you continue to improve and consolidate it, it will become a dam and our core competitiveness.
The wisdom of more than 10,000 people is accumulating on the manufacturing platform every year. Manufacturing technology, management and processes are developing and improving overall, and are constantly IT-oriented (informatization). It involves the physical layer, the middle and bottom layer, and deals with products, and is managed by MES (manufacturing execution system), and the company's process IT management architecture.
Tian Tao: How did such a change occur?
Li Jianguo: I recently wrote an article "Only by understanding human nature can we better manage people", and the focus is to openness and cooperation and inclusiveness. As the author of the book "Tolerance" and American humanistic historian fang Long said, when people of different races, different beliefs, and different skin colors live in harmony, civilization will emerge.
I read the three major military books in the world - China's " Sun Tzu's Art of War ", Japan's "Five Wheels Book", Germany's "Hangml1 War Discussion ", "Five Wheels Book" was written by Miyamoto Musashi, the number one swordsman of Japan. It talks about how to use force when dancing a sword, how to see your wrists, how to think about your thoughts, and how to roar at critical moments, scare your opponent and take a knife. It is a very detailed operation guide; "War Discussion" says that artillery bombards first, then cavalry rushes, and then infantry, which is the operation according to the process; "Sun Tzu's Art of War" proposes that "the army that defeats others without fighting is the good one", including very profound strategic wisdom. The three major military books reflect the different cultural characteristics and national character of the three ethnic groups. The "Tao" created can be seen from the military books.
The manufacturing in Japan and Germany is very powerful, and their military books reflect refinement and process. Americans have strong systematic thinking, first with a holistic architecture, then take it into ideology, absorb, integrate and innovate, and all the achievements of the world are used by them.
For example, Japanese and Germans make cameras very fine, Finnish make mobile phones very standard, Americans accept them all, make them into smartphones, creating miracles.We must combine these advantages. If we have the eclectic wisdom of our ancestors, Japan's refinement, Germany's process-based thinking and the American systemic innovative thinking, we will be invincible.
Our manufacturing department insists on learning, introducing, digesting, and absorbing the good things from Germany, Japan, the United States and South Korea. Japanese lean production , so we ask Toyota's retired directors as consultants. Toyota and its cooperative companies have several retired directors here now and are still changing every year, usually there are 3-4 old men.
Germany's quality management and automation are good. We ask the academicians of the Fraunhofer Institute of Manufacturing Technology and their expert team to be consultants in factory process design and automation. Please ask Siemens School of Management to help promote Six Sigma comprehensive quality management. Safety production is also very important. DuPont has done the best job in safety production management. We will hire a teacher from DuPont as a consultant. Just hire one person, which is quite good.
Tian Tao: What is the main basis for improving quality?
Li Jianguo: relies on QCC (Quality Control Circle, QCC), rationalization suggestions, Six Sigma total quality management, continuous improvement of lean production, and more than 10,000 people make improvements and self-criticism every day. Self-criticism requires action and unity of knowledge and action. We regard daily improvements as self-criticism, and daily improvements also have breakthrough improvements. The combination of the two is like a combination of walking and running and sweating.
It turned out that we made small improvements such as QCC and rationalization suggestions. Finally, we found that the quality still could not be improved to a certain extent. The direct rate of to 80% to 90%, and then the total quality management of Six Sigma was implemented, with the direct rate reaching 95%. Quality problems during the production process are greatly reduced, but once quality problems arise, the batch volume of faulty products is large. Finally, I found that there is a problem with the production model. The backward production model determines that there will be large batch problems. The batch problem is the failure of veneers of thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan.
From the perspective of historical evolution, the manufacturing method is from manual labor to workshops, mass production, and then to lean production. So we began to promote lean production, inspect, install, test, package, and produce one stream according to the rhythm. At the same time, one or several veneers have failed in quality problems. This solved the quality problems in large quantities and shortened the production cycle of by 90%.
The future production method is automation, digitalization, and intelligent manufacturing based on lean production. Intelligence means "like a tiger adding wings", "tiger" means lean production, the foundation, and "wings" means automation, digitalization, and intelligent manufacturing. The basic things are lean production and industrial engineering. How can we achieve intelligence if we have not done well in standardization? Improvement is step by step. Without QCC, there will be no total quality management, without total quality management, there will be no lean production, without lean production, there will be no intelligence, and you will know what to do when you reach a certain level.
Tian Tao: Which company did Six Sigma first start learning?
Li Jianguo: The earliest we learned was Siemens . Siemens sold us SMT (surface mounting technology) equipment. First, we taught us the wire change, and later we hired teachers from Siemens Management College to teach us Six Sigma's comprehensive quality management.
02
Tian Tao: I read you read a lot of books. How did this habit develop?
Li Jianguo: When I was a child, I was in the countryside and there was no entertainment in the countryside. One was to hear stories at night, and the other was to read by myself.My elder brother is a little bit educated and has worked as a naval aviation aircraft instrumentation engineer and collected some books; my third brother is the brigade branch secretary and also has some books; my uncle and ancestors have some books left behind. Although my father is illiterate, because he is the leader, these books are concentrated in my family.
When I was in elementary school, I sat under the bright tiles of the attic and finished reading one or two boxes of books, including "Water Margin", "Journey to the West", "Talking about Yue's Complete Biography", "Biographies of Heroes", " Dream of Red Mansions ", "Selected Works of Mao Zedong", "Complete Works of Lu Xun", " Qingjiang Zhuang Song ", "100,000 Whys", etc., as well as "October" and "People's Literature" magazines, and I have read the Diamond Sutra, although I didn't understand it. Reading is cultivated since childhood.
Tian Tao: What major do you study?
Li Jianguo: A undergraduate major in science, physics, and postgraduate students major in engineering, automation instruments and devices.
…
I found that it is difficult to start and end well, and it is even more difficult to do big things and start and end well. Mr. Ren also said that there are many short-lived heroes. I have been working in the field of manufacturing for a long time, and I have to realize the truth when doing production, and our temple is on the front line of production. We are still confident that Huawei manufacturing can be done well and the "Toyota" in the ICT (information and communication technology) industry.
11997, I was lucky enough to be Secretary Ren for 4 months. I originally thought that the books Mr Ren read every day were business operations, but he read books about how " two bombs and one satellite " developed in a difficult environment, as well as books such as "Hu Yaobang and Rehabilitation of Unjust, False and Wrong Cases". It has no direct relationship with business operations. It may be that kung fu is outside of poetry. I also secretly took a photo of Mr. Ren, who he didn't know yet, and I really admire him.
Tian Tao: You are the secretary of President Ren and look at him up close. What do you feel special?
Li Jianguo: At that time, what General Ren did the most was to draft appointments, and then to plan some major events. I was very lucky that I also participated in the revision of the Basic Law. I helped him change a few words, and he criticized him: "I didn't ask you to change it, I just asked you to change the punctuation marks. These words are worth a thousand dollars, how can I change it?"
Tian Tao: Why did Mr. Ren find you as a secretary?
Li Jianguo: At that time, the company lacked cadres, mainly for training, and also for investigation. It is also for investigation. Whether this person can do it is possible, there are both aspects.
Tian Tao: Do you have any conflicts in these 4 months? Give an example.
Li Jianguo: One is the Basic Law. I changed a few words, and I think it is not written enough in line with science. There is another thing. There is a summary description that I thought was inappropriate and asked President Ren. He did not change it at the time, so I did not insist anymore. Maybe it was because I spoke incorrectly, so President Ren also changed it afterwards.
Tian Tao: Do you think he can accept different opinions?
Li Jianguo: can accept different opinions, but there must be a suitable way to express it. He is an amazing person, but he is also an ordinary person.
I have very little communication with President Ren. I have worked in the company for 20 years. During this Spring Festival, I sent him a text message to President Ren to wish him a happy new year. I sincerely thanked him for his trust for many years, and he also replied to the message. This is also the first time I have actively communicated with President Ren after I came to the supply chain manufacturing system. There will be one or two exchanges in work every few years.
Tian Tao: Did he know that you have such an amazing amount of reading?
Li Jianguo: should not know. I think as a manager, to continuously improve work, we must have a big picture, a broad vision and rich thoughts, and we need to have enough reading.
Tian Tao: After you left, you never took the initiative to look for him, nor did he take the initiative to look for you?
Li Jianguo: No. One time, Mr. Ren convened a supply chain meeting and seemed to say that I was hindering the company's progress. I said I didn't. I was continuing to improve and promote lean production. Later, I heard from the superior leader that Mr. Ren was sure that I had made progress.
After a while, the company was about to arrange for me to change positions and go to the Central R&D Department to engage in engineering process R&D management. He led the letter and said that I have been loyal to the company for a long time and has always been loyal to the company. I think Mr. Ren has always trusted me.
03
Tian Tao: I look at your resume. For so many years, you have been in manufacturing and supply chain related fields?
Li Jianguo: When I first joined the company, I worked in the R&D department for two years on hardware development of 080,000 door machines, opened a test bureau, and was also responsible for pilot projects. At the end of 1994, as the project manager, I was responsible for opening the second test bureau of 080,000 door machines in Chenzhou, Hunan, and stayed at the installation site for 40 days. He also worked for Huawei Electric for two years and was appointed executive vice president, managing operations and delivering all businesses, and was responsible for production planning, order management, procurement, manufacturing, quality, process IT and other businesses, and received comprehensive training.
Tian Tao: Let’s talk about Huawei Electric’s experience, something that impressed you a lot.
Li Jianguo: This is after becoming a secretary.
Tian Tao: After being a secretary for 4 months, your position is higher, which means that you have passed the assessment and been recognized.
Li Jianguo: I am responsible for managing the supply chain and production at Huawei Electric. Teacher Chen Zhufang went to see it and said that I did a good job. Although the manufacturing of power supply products, like the current terminal manufacturing, started from scratch, but it has done well and developed very quickly.
When I joined Huawei Electric, there were very few people in the supply chain manufacturing system, with only one engineer, one technician, several cadres and three to four hundred workers. I developed it in less than a year. Huawei Electric's pilot department was established based on the manufacturing production engineering department, and the company's pilot department was also established by Mr. Zhang Zhongshi and me. Mr. Zhang Zhongshi is the manager, and I am the deputy manager.
Tian Tao: There was a period of time when the pilot in was parallel to R&D, right?
Li Jianguo: Yes. When I was at Huawei Electric, I hired many foreign-funded factories at that time, and the business started immediately and the quality improved. I know I can't, but I know who can.
At that time, President Ren asked me to do pilot work, but in fact he was doing the quality of the sieve tube. Because I attach great importance to quality, I always put quality first in production management. For quality, I had a conflict with some colleagues around me, but I persisted.
stick to something. It may not be recognized by others at the beginning, but it will be recognized in the end. Including the promotion of lean production, some people may not understand you, and those who understand you will think you are right and advanced. It is also difficult for everyone in the company to understand you, but as always, there is no need to explain if it works.
You must do the right thing, and you cannot do it so that everyone is satisfied with you. Sometimes you will encounter setbacks and troubles. Now it seems that it is a problem of insufficient personal empathy, so why can't we be more tolerant? For example, if you are engaged in production, it is natural to stop the line when there are problems, but for some brothers around, it is incomprehensible. How can you meet customer needs if the line is stopped? You should analyze and produce.
Therefore, treat others with tolerance and empathy. These can be resolved, and communication is never enough.
The biggest gain I got from Mr. Ren is self-criticism, and it is also my biggest gain from Huawei . Mr. Ren is not selfish and has learned a lot from him. Thank you very much.
I am a very passionate person and passionate in doing things, but recently I have reflected on it. Praise people should be in high spirits, and when criticizing people, you should not be so emotional. You should be calm and pay attention to your methods.
Tian Tao: This is our second meeting, you are always a passionate person. Why can you stay in a position for so long and keep this state?
Li Jianguo: I didn’t like this position at first. Before I went to graduate school, I felt that studying physics might not be able to achieve great success, and my family was also difficult, so it might be better to do engineering technology.
At that time, I realized that computers were one direction, and I also learned about computer principles and programming. I got full marks in a computer course exam. The teacher told me that 30% of them were Tsinghua University graduate entrance examination questions. I don’t think I will take the Tsinghua University, but I will take the Huazhong University of Science and Technology . Huazhong University of Science and Technology is also my dream university.
I studied in the Normal College of undergraduate studies, including arts, science and arts. After graduation, I stayed to teach. There were many geeks among my colleagues. Some people even memorized " Zizhi Tongjian " and " Records of the Grand Historian ". I was further influenced by humanities there.
Why is it so firm? I have been influenced by enlightenment since I was a child and influenced by the enlightenment of swords and iron horses and achievements. Chinese intellectuals may have such a complex. They want to achieve something, have dreams, pursuits, and feelings. I think I am essentially an intellectual.
04
Tian Tao: Is cooperation with Japan meant the company or your own idea?
Li Jianguo: I took the initiative to cooperate with Japan's Toyota consultant and received strong support from superior leaders. In 1995, President Ren was preparing to arrange for me to take care of production. I had met President Ren twice and said I wanted to continue to study technology. I studied well during my postgraduate study. I was jointly trained by the Department of Automation and Computer Science. When I graduated, I won the Excellent Graduation Thesis Award. My defense score was the first in the two departments and was recommended for a doctorate without examination. I gave up because I felt that my family’s financial conditions were poor and I had been sick. So I have confidence, and confidence comes from rewards after every struggle.
After entering Huawei, I want to do some technical work. At the end of 1994, I was in charge of the preparation of the Beijing International Communications Exhibition at that time in the R&D department. It took only one month to go from the design schematic to the exhibition, and it was very good . As a result, when Mr. Ren looked at it, he decided that I could do production because I was "too serious".
The second time I asked him to continue to work in technology. He said he would be promoted to me and appointed me as a manager. I said, "I don't want to be a manager. I want to do a good job in technology. I also need some technical skills. My skills are not good." He said, "Let you think about you when doing management. Technology is dealing with things, and management is dealing with people. Your comprehensive ability will be improved."
But I didn't feel it at the time, and I was focused on doing technology. As a result, after I went there, I appointed a manager, which was actually to manage several workers. I was considered a section chief . My mentality was a bit bad at first, but my personality was to do the best.
At that time, Japan's production was the best in the world. There are also 5S, QCC and TQM (Total Quality Management), which are very effective in quality improvement and on-site management. I went to Japan with the company's quality inspection team for inspection, and also got an understanding of lean production. After I came back, I made some lean improvements myself.
Since 2005, we have invited several retired directors from Toyota, Japan as consultants. One of them was the old man named Zenggang Fanfu, who was once the director of Toyota engine factory. I asked him why he came to guide us. He said: "Lean production is definitely a good thing and a precious wealth. If I don't pass it on to you, I will waste it if I die and bring it to the soil. I will contribute." He is very serious and has a high level. I often call on everyone to learn from him. He also hopes that we will succeed, saying that the "eye" that adds the finishing touch is lean production.
Tian Tao: You should have been to Japan many times. What level is Huawei at compared with some large Japanese companies?
Li Jianguo: I have visited Japanese companies and factories many times, and Toyota has been to two times. Huawei Manufacturing is much worse than Toyota. It is still better than those small and medium-sized enterprises. It is not much different from other large enterprises, but it is more energetic than them. We often tend to be broad-minded, lack practice, and are somewhat worse in the integration of knowledge and action, refined management and standardization, and lack the attitude of striving for excellence.
I have summarized a few points for the position of manufacturing president: First, "big ambitions and small banks", "big ambitions" means to have lofty ambitions. Huawei's manufacturing business must become the "Toyota" of the ICT industry and become the benchmark of the manufacturing industry; "small banks" means to do a good job in key small things, such as the key quality control point , production safety and fire safety, and employee relations.
The second is "integration of knowledge and action". I insist on going to the production site once a week (including the outsourcing factory site) and personally holding a quality meeting every month. I have never relaxed in 14 years, and I always focus on quality myself.
The third is "static submersible flow, continuous improvement", interpreting the self-criticism in Huawei's core values in the manufacturing department as promoting continuous improvement for all employees, and doing better every day than the previous day.
05
Tian Tao: Talk talk about your understanding of self-criticism. What are some critical ways?
Li Jianguo: Self-criticism should be done anytime and anywhere. In order to achieve work goals, we must constantly make adjustments.
For example, in the first half of this year, we worked with consumer BG to engage in quality, and there was some dispute over quality issues. At that time, there was a quality problem with the P6 phone, and everyone was arguing, so I communicated with each department separately, and the effect was very good. But a few days later, a brother jumped out and had an objection to the consensus reached in the early stage, and I was very angry at that time. I had repeatedly emphasized that communication is never enough, but as soon as he said that, I got angry again. I was angry and had a higher voice, but I didn’t scold people. As a senior cadre, it was still not good to do this. Since we realize that communication is never enough, why is the rebound so big?
Self-criticism is good, but it is difficult to integrate knowledge and action. Later, I contacted my subordinates to communicate with him, and I was also preparing to find time to communicate with him alone. Huawei’s self-criticism is a powerful field, and when you are in it, you have to criticize yourself. People who cannot criticize themselves cannot be cadres for a long time.
Tian Tao: The collaborative departments are internal customer relationships. How do you do the self-criticism within your team?
Li Jianguo: is done anytime and anywhere, and I will criticize myself during meetings and express my feelings. For example, there is a brother who is very straightforward and is good for lean production, but sometimes it is too direct. Although it is not malicious, it can also hurt others' self-esteem. People all want to be recognized and always criticize others too directly, which is not conducive to their convincing acceptance. Later, I communicated with him and said that he only cares about doing things and does not pay attention to other people's feelings. He should learn to praise others and criticize others with some methods. The working atmosphere is also very important.
I will raise any questions at any time and criticize myself at any time, so there is no big problem between me and them. For me, if something goes wrong, everyone will solve it together. The customer is satisfied. Then review it, it is more about trust. I have managed and manufactured for so many years, but I have not had too many problems with the quality. It should be said that I have checked the quality of the factory. The company recognizes it and has not dealt with it because of quality problems. However, I will deal with those who are irresponsible, dereliction of duty, and who make the same mistakes repeatedly. I will deal with those who have problems with safety.
An employee was fired for violating safety regulations. He came to me and I said, "You have to thank me." He asked, "Why am I grateful to you?" I said, "If you hit someone to death this time, it would be amazing. If you were fired this time, you will definitely be careful in the future, walk carefully, and drive carefully. You will live a hundred years old and thank me." I will not be ambiguous on this issue, because there will be no second time in a human life.
Tian Tao: How many people are there in the team now? Democratic Life Meeting is held once?
Li Jianguo: 9 people, plus 10 people of me. It has been opened once this year, but it was not what the company asked for. It was a bit nervous and under pressure just in the first half of the year when it took over the terminal manufacturing process. When we first took it, the company gave more than 100 professionals, a volume of $9 billion. We also got it through the manufacturing platform, but it was very nervous. We have no other way except to criticize ourselves. Regarding the fact that the terminal manufacturing business has not been done well, some people have found many reasons. I said that they cannot explain that way and they must criticize themselves. Everyone reflected on themselves at the meeting.
Tian Tao: Does it require everyone to criticize themselves, or do you say it as soon as you want to?
Li Jianguo: Everyone needs to criticize themselves if they have any problems. They encourage everyone to reflect on themselves, which has formed an atmosphere. This time, the quality issue of a Japanese customer was handled by me and was left over from before. After we took it, we handled the problem quite well, and the customer was also satisfied.
I think we need to reflect on the advanced problems after low-level errors. After recognizes its importance, has it formed a design baseline? Have you formulated corresponding quality standards and control priorities? Are there any key control and process prevention at the production site? How to execute? These are the advanced problems after low-level errors. Before the film was finished, the customer's senior vice president immediately stood up and said it was very good, and finally reached a consensus. After realizing the error, there must be a way to solve it.
Quality management system is a self-critical system. Quality management is to reduce bad luck and improve quality, and quality is the brand. From this perspective, our Huawei manufacturing system is branded, we always recognize the importance of quality, and Mr. Ren has always required attention to product quality. Mr. Ren’s positioning of manufacturing is a simple sentence: be responsible for factory quality. Although Mr. Ren and I have few face-to-face communications over the years, he knows what we do.
Tian Tao: Over the years, you should have suffered a lot of grievances. How did you face it?
Li Jianguo: Failure, as long as you are not killed, it is a precious wealth, which greatly increases your skills, strong heart, and braver the more you fight.
Tian Tao: Many people in Huawei have suffered grievances, and in the end they all endured them, and they all left them if they couldn't stand it.
Li Jianguo: I think setbacks are good. I have worked in one seat for more than ten years, so I want to thank this. I am observing others' problems every day, and I can't do it without reviewing myself. Recently, I have sublimated a little again. If the relationship with is not very harmonious with someone, I will reflect on myself and feel that I am not doing enough and not generous enough.
Huawei's evaluation of people is fair in the long run. This is an invisible force, a concrete manifestation of Huawei's core values "struggle-oriented" and the power of Huawei's system. Of course, it is impossible to be so fair in the short term. There is absolutely nothing in this world. You may not meet Mr. Ren often, but through this system, he can evaluate you fairly.
Mr. Ren once told us, "I may not know everything you have made progress, so just treat yourself to a bowl of fried noodles." These are also the reasons why I was able to work at Huawei for 20 years and work in supply chain and manufacturing for 16 years.
Tian Tao: Will your grassroots democratic life be once a month?
Li Jianguo: Yes, fixed. Managers at all levels are required to hold democratic life meetings for grassroots employees every month or every week. If you have any opinions, you can communicate with the management so that we can hear the opinions of grassroots employees.
Manufacturing department level once a month, and each time a member of the ST (office meeting) is sent to preside over the meeting. It turned out that when the manufacturing business was not large, a manager would arrange for a week to host a democratic life meeting for grassroots employees, and ask grassroots employees to give us opinions and expectations, but now this is not possible. There are too many, just once a month.
There is also an employee management grape picture. You should praise your employees for doing well every day, and write them out to remind you if you do not do well, and integrate self-criticism into everyone's daily work and make timely improvements. When it is difficult to make a comeback, criticism and handling will not be easy to accept, nor will it achieve good results.
Tian Tao: Can you give me a photo of the grape picture?
Li Jianguo: OK.
06
Tian Tao: Now most employees graduate from high school, right?
Li Jianguo: Most of them are high school students and college students. There are also a few junior high school education in less complicated positions.
Tian Tao: These people have no experience in working on large industrial assembly lines in the past. How do you make them qualified technical workers on assembly lines?
Li Jianguo: When I entered the company, there was guidance and training, and there was also a master who taught me well. There were rewards.
Tian Tao: Where did you learn this method? Including the master and his apprentice.
Li Jianguo: I can’t tell which company I learned this from. I learned all the good ones. We can even learn a little from a small outsourced factory.
Tian Tao: How long does a new employee need to train?
Li Jianguo: The training cycle is still relatively short. I think this is not appropriate. The next step is to increase the training time.
Tian Tao: I have never seen Huawei's manufacturing line, I have seen Foxconn 's manufacturing line, I think it is understandable that if the training cycle is short, the assembly line can be added, but how can I turn the previous casual people into screws on the assembly line?
Li Jianguo: is not batch by batch, it is gradually progressing. There are also masters who can take care of it for 1-3 months. The difficult and complex ones can be longer.
Tian Tao: Strictly speaking, it is to turn a farmer into a modern industrial worker. Only China has such a miracle. Have you ever thought about the reasons from a broad background?
Li Jianguo: The Chinese are traditionally obedient to superiors and leaders, and are kind and united. Our basic education is also OK, but it is a little worse in skills education. Our skills training cannot be completed in one week, and the method of a master taking an apprentice is very good.
Tian Tao: What do you think is the difference between this and other domestic manufacturing companies?
Li Jianguo: The subjective initiative of employees has been well stimulated, and the continuous improvement of all employees has been promoted, and an atmosphere has been formed. We emphasize respecting employees, strictly managing and caring for employees, and complementing each other. Only if we do both aspects well can we be a qualified cadre. All our work is to do both this and that. You must pay attention to quality, delivery, and cost, as well as employee relations.
I think the more people go to above, the more they need to be able to resolve conflicts. Those who can resolve conflicts with multiple elements are experts. These elements can find a balance point. If you can’t find it, you are finding reasons for yourself. For example, when doing production, you must understand some history and accumulate, and at the same time you must pay attention to new technologies and constantly criticize yourself.
For this year's strategic plan, I read 5 books: " The Third Industrial Revolution " is for the future, "The New Industrial Revolution" is written from a historical perspective, "The Big Data Era", "3D Printing" and "Maker" explain the impact on future production from a new technology perspective.
Our manufacturing system is open, combining self-made and outsourcing, combining consultants and own experts, combining internal training of cadres and external introduction, and trial production is done internally. Key products must have a certain scale of self-made, master core manufacturing capabilities, and personalized customized products must be close to customers.
Tian Tao: What is the competitiveness of the salaries and comprehensive benefits of manufacturing workers on the manufacturing line now?
Li Jianguo: is higher than the social average. We always position it like this, which is also what Mr. Ren requires. I also realized that it is higher, but not too high, and the cost needs to be considered.
Tian Tao: The turnover rate of employees in manufacturing companies is relatively high. What is the main reason?
Li Jianguo: has a relationship with the times. It turned out that farmers went to work to make money, marry a wife and build a building; now most of them are only children and are rich, so they just want to gain knowledge. The housing prices and prices here are very high, so it is difficult to leave them.
Tian Tao: churn rate is high. Which of the following factors do you think is the most important: disagree with the large industrial assembly line, low salary, and others have been poached by them, and have learned modern management to start a business?
Li Jianguo: Employees can develop all over the country. He is far away from home here, and it is not entirely for money. It is good to develop in the mainland and get close to home. The next step is to work hard to retain excellent technicians and technicians. Now some grassroots supervisors may not necessarily require high education, and a few excellent workers can also be used as ones.
Tian Tao: Are there any employees who have been promoted to enter the management level due to their special contributions?
Li Jianguo: There are, but not many.
Tian Tao: This has something to do with Huawei’s human resources management system, or is it because I didn’t think too much about it before?
Li Jianguo: Now we need to focus on this matter.
Tian Tao: Is it possible for to promote some from these grassroots technical employees to the management level?
Li Jianguo: Yes.
Tian Tao: Have counted the average working years of employees? A rough number.
Li Jianguo: Average working years, and some of them have been working for more than ten years. Some of them have been exported to the company's finance, personnel, and logistics departments. Most of the outstanding employees actually stay in Huawei, including R&D, Finance, Huitong, etc. We have sent many excellent personnel to them.
Tian Tao: Why do you need to send it to other departments?
Li Jianguo: You are asking this question very well. New employees are coming in a large number of times, and you should also give them some opportunities and space. In addition, these excellent employee companies also need them, and recruitment from society is not good. After training and testing, we have good work standards and no problem in terms of labor attitude.
Tian Tao: Do they find that your people are excellent, and they want to leave?
Li Jianguo: They want it regularly, and we give it to it fairly because it is also a kind of motivation.
Tian Tao: What is the intention of the company's design? Regularly ask for personnel from the manufacturing department?
Li Jianguo: This is Mr. Ren's instructions. These people are more familiar with Huawei, and the risks are small, and the demand department also recognizes it.
07
Tian Tao: Is Huawei's values the same as those in other departments? Because manufacturing does not directly face customers.
Li Jianguo: is the same, but it must be concretized and cannot be over-the-top. For example, customer-centricity is quality first and responsible for factory quality; the struggler is based on performance, and the more you work, the more you get; hard work is for us to work honestly, love your job and work; self-criticism is the continuous improvement of all employees.
Tian Tao: Sometimes you will fight against it, but it is very good for the following.
Li Jianguo: It is normal to have some different opinions in the work, and it is not necessarily good to be harmonious, but things decided by the organization must be implemented. has been promoting lean production for so many years, and I realized that the greatest lean is simplicity, honesty, and seeking truth from facts. We encourage different opinions and dare to expose and embrace problems.
Tian Tao: Put the company's values and culture here to form your own set of detailed things.
Li Jianguo: This is called the unity of knowledge and action. We have created a record of knowledge and action, and have compiled it into some manuals, such as the "Workshop Director's Manual" and "Workshop Code of Conduct Manual".
Tian Tao: Who made this ? Are you in your team?
Li Jianguo: Manufacturing Department Human Resources Department is responsible for organizing and organizing some of the concepts and effective practices we have accumulated over a long period of time, such as meticulousness, doing it immediately, constantly improving, never meeting, as well as quality first, safety without relaxation, etc., combined with the company's requirements, a systematic thing has been formed.
Tian Tao: Do these require company approval? Or do you implement it yourself after you make a decision?
Li Jianguo: These things will be reported to the company. If the company does not object, we will implement them. I will personally take care of the processes and IT categories and continuously improve them.
Tian Tao: I heard two voices in the company. One is to let go and have great power; the other is to feel that it is very responsible. What are your experiences? How does your boss treat you? Do you think you have given all your power? How do you delegate power to your subordinates?
Li Jianguo: I think the company's management of tightness for me and the manufacturing department is appropriate. I am a "big ambition and small businessman". I don't let go of the key things and don't talk big. Going to the production site once a week is better than listening to reports in the office.
Tian Tao: You have been in the manufacturing department for more than ten years. How is your sense of accomplishment?
Li Jianguo: We still feel accomplished when we continue to improve, but the gap with Toyota is still large. The benchmark for pan-network manufacturing is Toyota, and the realistic goal of terminal manufacturing is Samsung.
Tian Tao: Is there a difference between Samsung and Toyota?
Li Jianguo: Toyota is currently unmatched in lean production. I think there is a company that is close to that of Bosch, Germany, who makes auto parts. We have people here who have worked in Toyota, Bosch and Samsung. For example, someone who has worked at Samsung for more than ten years and has been a factory manager, has strong professional manufacturing and management capabilities. I respect him very much and directly promoted him to the management team. We also hired a German expert who has worked in Bosch for many years to be a consultant for automation and production process flow optimization.
Tian Tao: How many experts from countries are there for you? I am very impressed by your concept of the IWN Consultant.
Li Jianguo: We have experts and consultants from Japan and Germany, as well as experts and consultants from American companies. Recently, a Korean consultant was introduced, who is the vice president of the Korea Reliability Association and the winner of the South Korean Presidential Award. You can meet next time you come. Because high-end customers in Japan and Germany have high requirements for quality. Although I can't do it, I know who can do it. This is our usual approach. I learn from the best teacher, 60 points are OK, but I learn from the poor teacher, 100 points are useless. Teachers are our greatest respectful title for experts and consultants, and I respect these people very much.
08
Tian Tao: Do you think over the years, Mr. Ren has arranged for you to make the right choice?
Li Jianguo: I didn’t want to do it at that time, but now it seems that Ren is always right. As long as it is beneficial to the company, it is enough to perform well. The principles of doing R&D, manufacturing, sales, etc. are the same. If you don’t criticize yourself and always think about other people’s mistakes, there will be no result. To achieve true liberation, your mind must be completely liberated.
I found a connection point with my dreams and Huawei's development, and worked in a world-class career on the front line of production. Huawei’s culture and values - customer-centric, struggle-oriented, long-term hard work, and insist on self-criticism. These four sentences must be practiced. I have been working hard in these four aspects, but as a senior manager, I still need to improve.
You must have a bigger mind when doing bigger things. I have always maintained the habit of reading in my spare time, especially when I encounter obstacles and bottlenecks. When I find that some things are conflicts, setbacks can also be released through reading.
Tian Tao: So you are still in the company's main channel now?
Li Jianguo: production is definitely, and in the future, especially in the consumer field. It turns out that outsourcing everything is risky. In the UK, the United States, and some Chinese companies, when they fail, some outsourcing factories abandon them. We must always maintain a combination of self-made and outsourcing, focus on core manufacturing capabilities, and be uncontrollable.
Tian Tao: Did you win the terminal manufacturing back? Or does the terminal itself mean to come back?
Li Jianguo: Ren General proposed that the company's management team made a collective decision.
Tian Tao: The terminal sample is first released.
Li Jianguo: Yes, terminal trial production and verification are done internally, and some high-end products and products from large customers are also mass-produced.
Tian Tao: Do you think Ren always has the greatest impact on your life?
Li Jianguo: Yes, absolutely, especially in terms of self-criticism and selflessness. The boss outside has to hold at least 30% of the company's shares. No one can be like him. Not only Mr. Ren, but also Mr. Ren's family members, I understand them. They are all very kind. This is family style.
...
Tian Tao: is right, this is the fundamental, and it should be like this when you are a boss. "Goodness" is the fundamental, and the expression form is another aspect.
Li Jianguo: I think now, The mind is very important. A handful of salt in a cup is salty, and the taste is gone when put in the lake. If the mind is broad, the feeling will be different. What are the grievances about us? There were some things that were because we were immature.
I have been working in this field for fifteen or sixteen years, and now I have started looking for successors. We will retire and die. We will retain stocks after retirement. From a selfish perspective, I want to choose a good successor to ensure that our stocks continue to appreciate. We must improve the quality, because from the perspective of Huawei, manufacturing is in my hands. What is the role of manufacturing? A company that does well in manufacturing may not be good, but if the manufacturing is not good, the company that does not have good in manufacturing may not be good. If the quality is not good, customers will not believe us, and if the customer is centered, there will be no more. If the product cannot be sold, the company will collapse.
So the successor I choose must first pay attention to quality and pay good attention to quality, and secondly, manage timely delivery and cost. I have a dispute with some colleagues for quality and work, and I have a dispute with some people. But this is based on work, but the communication method still needs to be improved. Now I am a leader at the company level and I still need to continue to learn and improve.
Tian Tao: quality is a selfless thing, and no problem can occur.
Li Jianguo: It is not contradictory, good quality, do things right at once, the efficiency will be high, the delivery will be timely, and the cost will be low. My Japanese friends were very inspired by me. In 1996, I visited Japan and the chairman of Asahi Beer in Japan told me: Quality management. I didn't understand it at that time. In fact, if the quality is good, the business will be done. If the quality is good, the things will be done. In the new era, we must focus on quality management, especially massive products, which cannot be sold for a lot of money, but the customer requirements are very high, which is a new challenge, so this time we invited an old Korean man to help us solve this matter.
Tian Tao: There are experts from multiple countries here now, right?
Li Jianguo: has Germany, Japan, South Korea, the United States and Taiwan. It turns out there are Singaporeans, and occasionally Britain. We also have experts inside, and there are many experts in the institute, so we don’t have to keep staring outside. An open manufacturing system and an open manufacturing human resources system are actually also a manifestation of self-criticism.
Tian Tao: The company's sales last year were more than 30 billion US dollars? This year is $40 billion? In fact, it is mainly issued from the five major manufacturing centers you manage?
Li Jianguo: Yes. In addition, the manufacturing department also needs to manage the manufacturing behavior and quality of spare parts repair and distribution centers around the world. My father is a farmer and production, and I also do communication products. It is a great thing to ship more than 100 million US dollars a day. Thanks to the company's trust.
Tian Tao: If you repair spare parts, will your tentacles reach the customer?
Li Jianguo: has arrived at a national-level maintenance point.
Tian Tao: The maintenance point also needs to deal with customers directly.
Li Jianguo: Yes, we manage the maintenance process technology and quality management support, but we do not directly care about people. You still have to keep working hard, it is not possible without studying.
Tian Tao: The people you manage are very different from other departments. There are mainly knowledge workers there, and here are mainly non-knowledge workers, but they are also non-knowledge workers under modern conditions.
Li Jianguo: We have more than 1,000 professional engineers and 15,000 operating personnel. In the future, we will "grow wings like a tiger". "Tiger" means lean production and will continue to be implemented in depth. "Wing" means automation, digitalization, and intelligent manufacturing.
Tian Tao: These are new concepts and new applications.
Li Jianguo: I used to do development, two in and two out of R&D department, have done product hardware development and product engineering process R&D management, and have also done pilot projects, and have been responsible for the start of the 080,000-door machine test bureau. I have almost done this line of product, and can still synchronize new manufacturing technologies.
Tian Tao: Okay, thank you.
