Recently, the former photovoltaic giant - Baoding Yingli New Energy, after bankruptcy and reorganization, Nirvana rebirth, its layout in Baoding LiXian layout of the first phase of the photovoltaic industrial park project was officially put into production, the first 545W module successfully rolled off the production line, the second phase of the project was announced at the same time. This also marks that this well-known brand in the photovoltaic industry, which was born in Baoding, is starting to climb upward from the trough and is expected to return to the industry forward array.
First, the beginning of Yingli
As a local enterprise in Baoding that was once on a par with Great Wall Motors, Yingli New Energy was once one of the benchmark enterprises in China's photovoltaic industry, the only local enterprise listed on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States, and the only official sponsor in China to continuously sponsor the 2010 South Africa/2014 Brazil Football World Cup.
When Lao Miao was young, he served as a soldier and fought in the Vietnam War. In 1987, Miao Liansheng changed careers from the military and began to start a business in Baoding Yuhua Road, initially engaged in cosmetics business, named "Yingli Cosmetics Distribution Department".
In 1993, Miao Liansheng, who had been in the cosmetics business for more than ten years, began to import parts from Japan to assemble solar neon lights, and this assembly business also stimulated his interest in the solar energy industry chain.
In 1998, Miao Liansheng officially established Baoding Yingli New Energy Co., Ltd. in Baoding High-tech Industrial Development Zone.
A year later, in the case of the withdrawal of partners, Baoding Yingli still resolutely undertook the national high-tech industrialization demonstration project: polycrystalline silicon solar cells and application system demonstration projects.
This is China's first polycrystalline silicon solar product demonstration production line with international advanced level, Baoding Yingli has also become the first company in China to enter the photovoltaic industry, Miao Liansheng can be described as the first person to eat crabs in the domestic photovoltaic industry, and is also known as the "godfather of photovoltaics" in China.
However, to the surprise of Lao Miao, after the demonstration project passed the national acceptance, no one applauded, after all, the domestic new energy industry application was still in its infancy at that time, and it was normal for the return on investment to be low.
Although Some related support projects were launched around 2000 in China, such as solving the problem of the western area without electricity through photovoltaic and small wind power generation, it is a drop in the bucket for the huge investment of enterprises.
Second, the rise of Yingli in the European and American markets:
At that time, Europe was the main battlefield for photovoltaic companies.
In 2004, the global photovoltaic industry ushered in the first year of the outbreak, Europe rose up the solar module rush wave, Miao Liansheng decided to start from the birthplace of BMW cars - Munich, Germany, to do a good job in the model market.
And it also made a jaw-dropping gamble-like move that year, spending 400 million yuan of funds to start the second phase of the project, his gamble finally won, Yingli in the early layout of production capacity at that time, all the way to the siege landing, business gradually expanded to Spain, Italy and other places, becoming a giant enterprise in the field of photovoltaic in the European market, Miao Liansheng and Yingli also entered a highlight moment.
In 2006, Yingli supplied photovoltaic engineering components for the World Cup stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and sponsored La Liga teams, and subsequently became the official sponsor of the 2010 South Africa/2014 Brazil Football World Cup, which has become a classic marketing case in the history of Chinese photovoltaic enterprise development.
In 2007, Yingli was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and Miao Liansheng of Baoding became the only entrepreneur who did not wear a tie at the launching ceremony since the establishment of the New York Stock Exchange. In the same year, Lao Miao also appeared on the "Hurun Rich List", sitting on the position of the richest man in Hebei with a net worth of 14 billion, and Wei Jianjun had just cut from the pickup truck field into the SUV field, when the Haval H6 was not yet born, and Haval CUV was still in the market stage.
Subsequently, Miao Liansheng belt LinkedIn Li began a larger expansion action and quickly grew into one of the largest photovoltaic companies in China, admittedly, its success history is not lacking in "controversy", mainly because of its former strategy of seizing the market at a low price.
The 'six cents and nine' incident in China's photovoltaic industry can be described as the beginning of the controversy caused by Yingli New Energy.
In 2009, at the bidding meeting of the largest photovoltaic power station in China - 10MW photovoltaic grid-connected power generation project in Dunhuang, Gansu, a number of domestic enterprise consortiums participated in the bidding, and the consortium in which Yingli Energy participated reported an incredible low price of 0.69 yuan / kWh (at that time, the industry believed that the photovoltaic electricity price needed to be 2-3 yuan / kWh to be profitable), and its "low price winning" strategy caused dissatisfaction among other enterprises in the industry. Miao Liansheng later responded to the media to give him the title of "price butcher": "Whoever grasps the advantage of cost competition will grasp the future of new energy." ”
At that time, the "Liumaojiu Incident", which was criticized by peers, made Miao Liansheng more determined about the low-price strategy, so later Yingli set up a raw material processing enterprise called "Liujiu Silicon Industry" in Baoding, I believe everyone will understand the reason.
At that time, Yingli New Energy, under the leadership of Miao Liansheng, implemented a radical expansion movement, and the "low-price strategy" was Yingli's large-scale occupation of the market, and Lao Miao firmly believed that Yingli's whole industry chain layout and lean cost control strategy could support low prices.
In 2009, Yingli ranked first in the country and fourth in the world with a production capacity of 60 MW. However, because of Yingli's low-price strategy, it also triggered a "price war" for domestic photovoltaic companies later. However, at a time when many photovoltaic companies in China are hesitant, the crisis has quietly arrived.
Third, the darkest hour of Yingli:
Since around 2008/2009, under the impact of the global financial crisis, the EU has reduced its policy support for the photovoltaic industry, and the shrinking of the European market has brought great pressure to Chinese photovoltaic companies in foreign markets. At that time, the price of polysilicon began to plummet in 2009, and in less than a year, it fell from $400/kg to $40/kg.
The United States launched a "double reverse" investigation into Chinese photovoltaic companies in 2011.
In May 2012, China's photovoltaic industry ushered in the darkest moment, the US Department of Commerce ruled that Baoding Yingli, Wuxi Suntech, Changzhou Trina Solar was levied 31.18%, 31.22%, 31.14% anti-dumping duties respectively...
Subsequently, the European Union also issued a "double reverse" investigation of Chinese photovoltaic companies, and Baoding Yingli, which was soaring all the way at that time, also topped the global shipment of photovoltaic modules during that period, but more shipments also meant more taxes...
The entire Chinese photovoltaic industry ushered in the moment of darkness and great reshuffle at the most blowout time node, but unlike the fashion of The fashion of Dedian Shi Zhengrong who chose to withdraw from the shell and flee overseas with Jia Yueting' golden cicada, Miao Liansheng pressed his wealth on, continued to continue to live for Yingli blood transfusion, and sought a way out, but with little effect.
Inevitably, a $1 billion debt crisis from Yingli Energy was ignited in 2015, followed by a $1.4 billion bond issue in 2016. The so-called "prosperity and decline", in the case of being described by Miao Liansheng as "great difficulties", Lao Miao is still unwilling to alleviate the financial pressure through a large number of layoffs.
But this also allowed Yingli to finally embark on the bankruptcy reorganization process, in order to preserve the national brand and industry, the Baoding Municipal Government finally became the largest shareholder of Yingli China by injecting capital, which also allowed Yingli to survive. Lao Miao also resigned as chairman of Yingli Group in July 2016.
After retirement, the old miao who fell on the altar moved the living room to a small building in the deepest part of the old factory area, and after a great change in life, he also lived a "retreat" life, he opened a fish pond, planted vegetables and ducks around, and planted a few acres of strawberries, reading every day to obtain external information, continue to take the pulse for Yingli, and Yingli later derived yuansheng Jiahe also worked well in the field of hotels and real estate in Baoding.
Fourth, the rebirth of Yingli Energy brand:
Just as the so-called "West is not bright and the East is bright", in the face of the "double reverse" pressure of the United States and Europe, China has increased its support for the photovoltaic industry, which also provides strong policy support for China's independent brands to turn the bow of the ship back to China.
In 2012, China issued the 12th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Solar Power Generation, which raised the installed capacity targets for 2015 and 2020 to 21GW and 50GW.
In October 2012, the State Grid issued the "Opinions on Doing a Good Job in Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Grid-Connected Services" to fully support distributed energy generation.
Since then, some new energy support policies such as photovoltaic poverty alleviation, front-runner projects, and household photovoltaics have successively appeared.
In 2020, China made a commitment at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly: China will strive to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
The spring breeze brought by the policy has made China's photovoltaic companies also show resilience, a group of enterprises fell, and another group of enterprises stood up. And more fortunately, some of the former photovoltaic giants have been reborn.
In the current new round of photovoltaic industry competition, the trend of "old trees and new hair" is also increasing, such as Yingli New Energy we mentioned.
In October 2020, Yingli Group's high-efficiency photovoltaic industry base projects were built in Baoding LiXian and Tangxian Respectively, and the previous Yingli projects in Tianjin, Hainan, Hengshui and other places also began to resume production or build new one after another.
In April 2021, Yingli Energy (China) Co., Ltd. held its first shareholders' meeting, and Yingli China officially embarked on a new journey, while Yingli China's chairman was Yin Xulong, who was the deputy director of Baoding Development and Reform Commission.
Baoding, where Yingli China headquarters is located, is itself the first batch of "National Low-Carbon City Pilots" selected by WWF, and Baoding National High-tech Zone has formed an industrial base with new energy sources such as wind power generation, photovoltaic power generation and power transmission and transformation smart grid equipment as the leading industries, and has created a "China Power Valley" brand with high industrial recognition.
Therefore, injecting capital and revitalizing the Yingli brand has become an important task in Baoding, not only to let Yingli China "stand up" again, but also to "stand up" and "stand high", and help it return to the first party team of the photovoltaic industry.
What is lamentable is that the future development of Yingli has nothing to do with Miao Liansheng, and the personal attributes brought to this brand in the early stage are gradually being diluted.
epilogue:
Today's Yingli Energy is developing in the direction of science and technology, green and high-end in a steady posture, which is also a new position and new posture for its future development, which is in stark contrast to the image of the "price butcher" in the industry ten years ago.
And Miao Liansheng has not appeared in the public eye for a long time, but the hero has no questions about the west and east, once he created a photovoltaic entrepreneurial myth with his personal pride and determination, although he also left a lot of regrets and injuries, but it is undeniable that no one is perfect, this former Vietnam War veteran, is still a "tough guy"!
True heroism is the love of life after recognizing the truth of life.
Lao Miao, the former richest man in Hebei, was once full of vigor and vigor, and under the tempering of time and world events, he became low-key and indifferent.
In the photovoltaic industry, which is rich in China's richest man and China's first loss, the jianghu is no longer that jianghu.
Old Miao has left, but has never said goodbye, fortunately Yingli has been renewed, which may also be a relief for him!