Per reporter: Xiong Jianan
Erlang Town, Guling County, Sichuan Province, where Sichuan and Qian provinces are bounded by the Chishui River, and on the high mountains on this side of Erlang Town, Langjiu Manor is built along the mountain. At 7:30 a.m. on September 9, the sun was just right here and the breeze was not dry.
Although he received important guests of the Langjiu Manor Membership Festival the night before until the early morning, Wang Junlin still got up early.
Ten minutes before the agreed 8:30, Wang Junlin, dressed in a white shirt and sneakers, arrived at the filming point of the interview, "Jing Tiantai".
"How do you feel about coming to the Manor for the first time?" Wang Junlin asked with a smile when he got out of the car.
He told reporters: "The meaning of the design of the Jingtian Terrace is to respect the laws of nature, we build the house underground, so that the building is integrated with the entire mountain range, and the consumer's experience of the environment will be better." ”
Wang Junlin is a legend in the liquor world. For more than 20 years, in the face of the constantly adjusting external environment, he led the loss-making Langjiu to achieve profits, and completed the target of 10 billion yuan with a volume of less than 1 billion, and the company's sales exceeded 20 billion last year; After 15 years and a cost of 20 billion yuan, Langjiu Manor was erected...
Based on objective laws, dare to be the first, this may be what Wang Junlin really wants to express. Now, based on 20 billion yuan, Langjiu has once again put forward a new ten-year plan: the sales target of 100 billion yuan.
In an exclusive interview, Wang Junlin also talked about the future of the company and the construction of enterprise talents.
Sales from 300 million to 100 billion
On the morning of September 8, Wang Junlin announced the 100 billion goal of 100 million yuan of Langjiu at the third Langjiu Manor Membership Festival, which was eye-catching during the industry adjustment period.
"In terms of strategic goals, in 2024~2033, a new 351 project (30 billion yuan/year, 50 billion yuan/year, 100 billion yuan/year) will be implemented, and the sales revenue is expected to reach 70 billion yuan ~ 100 billion yuan in 2030." Wang Junlin said.
Specifically, the two major visions of Langjiu are: "to become one of the world's top ten famous wines" and "Langjiu Manor to become a world-class winery and a place for liquor lovers".
Photo courtesy of Langjiu Manor
Hundreds of billions of revenue, only Kweichow Moutai has reached in the industry at present. With the release of the "351" strategy, Langjiu has become the fourth liquor company in the industry to shout the goal of 100 billion yuan after Kweichow Moutai (SH600519), Wuliangye (SZ000858) and Yanghe Co., Ltd. (SZ002304).
"We aspire to make the quality of Langjiu one of the best in the world, and once this goal is achieved, the amount of sales will be a matter of course."
However, Kweichow Moutai just took the lead in crossing the line the year before last, and Wuliangye is also moving forward on the road of crossing 10 billion yuan every year, even if the product, production capacity and energy storage are benchmarked against first-class wine companies, but for Langjiu, which has just reached 20 billion revenue, it is still not small.
Now shouting out hundreds of billions, the outside world may have some doubts. In this regard, a Langjiu insider said that when the company raised the target of tens of billions, the outside world did not recognize it, but the company did it later.
22 years ago, Langjiu's annual sales were less than 300 million yuan. In 2004, Wang Junlin led Langjiu to formulate the first generation of "351 Project", which refers to tens of billions, that is, to concentrate 3-5 business units and 3-5 distributors in a regional market to make Langjiu achieve sales of 3 billion yuan to 5 billion yuan in 3-5 years, and finally achieve the sales target of 10 billion yuan.
Wang Junlin, chairman of Langjiu Group, was photographed by reporter Chen Huatian
"The first generation of the '351 Project' seemed to us at the time to be a very ambitious goal, absolutely impossible to achieve, but Langjiu achieved it." Chef Zhang is now a shift leader in the first workshop of the Langjiu Storage Department, and he joined Langjiu at the age of 20 to work in winemaking, witnessing the great changes in the company in the past 30 years.
"When we came (to take over), it wasn't clear how to do it, but we knew that a brand would definitely do well in our hands." Today, twenty years later, Wang Junlin recalls the beginning, his eyes are still full of determination, "(At that time) there were many more difficulties than expected, the entire liquor industry was not very good, Langjiu was in a state of loss, the product price was also very low, the retail price of Langpai Langjiu could not be sold for more than 30 yuan, and the enterprise was struggling." Later, we developed a new product, Honghualang, which turned the difficult situation of Langjiu around. ”
In 2011, the sales of Langjiu exceeded 10 billion yuan, while only Wuliangye, Kweichow Moutai and Yanghe shares exceeded Langjiu's revenue in that year.
In 2012, the industry entered a period of adjustment, and Langjiu was not spared. In 2015, Langjiu took a turnaround. In 2017, the new positioning of Qinghualang was released, replacing the "head lang" position of Honghualang with Qinghualang. In 2018, the sales of Langjiu returned to 10 billion. In the past 6 years, Langjiu has successfully consolidated and sublimated its self-worth with a "V" shaped curve.
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Master Zhang turned 50 years old this year, "strong sense of social responsibility", "attach importance to employee welfare" and "legendary, excellent" are his evaluation of Wang Junlin, and this also brings full confidence to Langjiu employees, "To support Langjiu, you must work to the end, until retirement." ”
Long-termism is what Wang Junlin has always emphasized. Twenty years is like a reincarnation, whether it is tens of billions or hundreds of billions, the goal of making the enterprise better and better is indeed always the same, just as Langjiu has never made OEM wine for many years, he firmly believes that doing a good job of "the ultimate three products", products, production capacity, energy storage benchmarking first-class wine companies, the goal will definitely be achieved.
Wang Junlin told reporters: "How many billions can be sold is not determined by Langjiu, but by China's economy." The fate of an enterprise is forever closely linked to the fate of the country, especially for a long-termist, century-old enterprise like us, we firmly believe that China's economy will get better and better. ”
More than 20 billion wineries built
In the traditional perception, remote mountainous areas and cliffs are difficult to associate with the scene of super five-star standard manor hotels, drinking and singing.
Today, Langjiu Estate not only has a tasting point and bartending center located between the cliffs, but also a place such as Dongxian Villa, where people can walk on the cliffs, and is equipped with leisure and entertainment facilities such as swimming pools and bars. Consumers eat local specialties, stay in super five-star standard manor hotels, can see gorgeous light and shadow shows illuminating the valley at night, and now there is music on the banks of the Chishui River...
Photo courtesy of Langjiu Manor
"The world is not meant to be like this, we only live in this world because some people imagine it should be. Imagination and creativity are 'creating something out of nothing', creating something that didn't exist before. "What is the fundamental source of economic growth? As Zhang Weiying, a professor at the National Institute of Development Studies of Peking University, said in his keynote speech at the Langjiu Members' Festival, it is human imagination and creativity, that is, entrepreneurship.
Wang Junlin is very good at creating. Pioneering along the river, tackling landslides... Langjiu opened up a new business in Langjiu Estate.
The idea of building the Langjiu estate originated from a visit by Wang Junlin in Europe. "At that time, we were thinking about how Chinese baijiu would go international, and I saw a lot of red wine and whisky wineries abroad, and they developed very well. But Chinese liquor is a simple workshop, packaging, warehouse, and then the wine is sold. ”
Wine, in addition to quality and culture, strengthens the consumer experience in order to make consumers recognize. For example, in the French wine estate, the outside world can see the planting, brewing, and storage of grapes here, and complete the understanding of the history, flavor and process of the winery, telling customers what are good raw materials and the meaning of each process. This immersive experience is also an endorsement of quality and brand.
However, there are many differences between foreign countries and domestic wine culture in terms of culture, tradition, and values. How to realize the new value expression of Chinese wine culture and give full play to the characteristics of production areas, categories and products?
After returning to China, Wang Junlin began to conceive and determined to build a world-class winery that surpasses Europe and the United States and belongs to China. At present, in Langjiu Manor, there are 5 major ecological winemaking production areas, 3 major natural wine storage caves, as well as Jingtiantai, Earth Pavilion, Valley Light and Shadow Show, Tianbao Cave Leisure Resort Hotel, etc., in addition to allowing tourists to see the cellar pool, sealing altar area, and natural cave storage area in Langjiu Manor, but also allow tourists to bartend, taste and play in person.
Photo courtesy of Langjiu Manor
Langjiu Manor began planning in 2008, and today, the total investment has exceeded 20 billion.
Wang Junlin said, "The essence of Langjiu Manor is to integrate the production process of Langjiu with the visiting experience, it is not a tourist place imagined by everyone, but can let consumers and customers personally understand the four processes of 'growth and nourishment' of wine, including the later blending can be experienced firsthand, consumers personally mix the world's unique wine, will feel very precious, happy, and will have a deeper understanding of the whole Langjiu." ”
Not only Langjiu Manor, on the afternoon of September 12, Langjiu Longma Winery also officially laid the foundation stone in Luzhou, which is a symbolic step to become stronger, longer, and bigger Langjiu thick sauce and fragrant liquor products, the project has a total investment of 15 billion yuan, and will be basically completed and put into use in 2026.
On inheritance: "Young people have grown, and in turn we are relaxed"
A person's life is short, so how to make the life of the enterprise long? To become a century-old enterprise, "inheritance" is something that Wang Junlin must consider.
In recent years, the management team of Langjiu has gradually become younger, professional and knowledgeable, especially this year, a number of post-80s technical talents have been appointed one after another. In August this year, Langjiu announced a major personnel appointment, and Wang Bowei became the general manager of Langjiu.
Wang Bowei, known as "Xueba", graduated from the Department of Precision Instruments and Mechanics of Tsinghua University with a bachelor's degree in measurement and control technology and instrumentation, and then went to the University of Maryland to study business administration and obtain a master's degree in business administration.
Before joining Langjiu, Wang Bowei worked in companies across many industries at home and abroad, such as Campbell's Soup Company and Capital One Capital Financial Company, and has rich accumulation in production management, product research and development, brand management, and enterprise operation analysis.
Young, knowledgeable, and professional are the impressions of Wang Bowei from the outside world. "Because he (Wang Bowei) is a highly talented student, if the company wants to seek new development, the company's management must start from the aspects of youth and knowledge, and introduce high-tech, high-tech, high-ability talents to complete." Master Zhang thought.
"Kindness and diligence" is Wang Junlin's first evaluation of Wang Bowei.
Since taking office, especially this year, Wang Bowei has successively gone to Hebei, Shandong, Jiangxi and other places for in-depth first-line market research.
"On the whole, I am still very satisfied, and I should say that he is more competent for his current position, but (if) I still need experience to be the chairman of the board of directors in the future, that is, I have a big vision." Regarding Wang Bowei's past achievements, Wang Junlin affirmed, "I believe (Wang Bowei) will grow up soon. ”
However, Wang Junlin has higher requirements for Wang Bowei, "Bo Wei is a science and engineering man from Tsinghua, and the high-precision technology he learns is precision, which is his advantage, but also a disadvantage." [But] as a leader, what you need is a general direction, and you can do a little less in specific matters. Speaking of this, he also introspected himself, "Everyone has shortcomings, my shortcomings are not careful, it depends on how everyone makes up for it, how a team makes up for it, and Bo Wei is also growing in this regard." ”
Langjiu Shilixiang Square Photo by reporter Chen Huatian
This time, the two appeared together at the strategic press conference and other activities, which also made the future inheritance of Langjiu hotly discussed in the industry.
In this regard, Wang Junlin gave his own opinion.
"For a company to develop for a long time, there are generations of people behind it. If we just look at ourselves, we will not pass it on, and the important thing to inherit is to inherit the ideas and concepts of Langjiu," he said, "First, to be kind, it is also the most core one, if we are not kind, we will not treat employees well; Second, there must be a group of young people to do it. Many enterprises of the older generation lead the company to develop very well, but they are reluctant to let go of power, and suddenly one day it will not work, and this team will not work. ”
Wang Junlin once again emphasized, "Inheritance is not one person, but an entire team, so we are cultivating the first, second and third generations." This is not a contradiction, including those of us old comrades who think very openly, young people have grown, and in turn we are relaxed. ”
"The industry is always adjusting, and the overall production of liquor will decline"
Industry adjustment is a topic that cannot be avoided in the liquor industry in recent years. The production of liquor is declining year by year, the terminal sales are not smooth, and the channel inventory is high... No wine company can be left alone, and when the industry adjustment will end has become the most anticipated thing in the minds of wine industry people.
Devoted to the wine industry for more than 20 years, Wang Junlin has personally experienced the blooming of the industry and witnessed several rounds of adjustment. In his view, the adjustment of any industry is eternal, and only competition in adjustment can bring technological progress and high-quality wine.
Langjiu Natural Storage Cave Photo courtesy of interviewee
When it comes to competition, price inversion is a common phenomenon in the liquor industry in the past two years, and due to the contradiction between supply and demand brought by channel inventory, many distributors choose to ship at low prices.
Wang Junlin believes that one of the reasons for the price inversion is that the head companies of liquor are desperately running forward, and the growth rate soon leads to supply exceeding market demand. "If it is not solved, the upside down will still exist," Wang Junlin said, "As a famous wine company, it is impossible for us to slow down moderately, and it is impossible to grow endlessly." ”
For example, he said, "The liquor industry is a competitive industry, and every company is reluctant to put down the quantity. Langjiu was set in October last year, and our sales collection will not grow in 2023, or the target of 20 billion, so the pressure on the Langjiu market is very small. ”
He further said, "How much dealers sell, how much we give, after the balance, dealers will not have great pressure." ”
Therefore, the core of the change in the industry lies in the change of good wine. And reflected in the market competition, is the brand.
Wang Junlin emphasized, "In recent years, the performance of listed liquor companies has grown rapidly, and consumers trust the brand. At the same time, whoever does a good job in quality and service will be able to go up; Whoever does not do well in quality and service, it will definitely come down. ”
"In the past, the liquor industry had too many distilleries and too much output, when I took over Langjiu, our country's liquor production was about 8 million tons, and now it is more than 6 million tons, and I think the liquor production will slowly drop to about 5 million tons, which is more benign."
Langjiu Brewery Photo courtesy of interviewee
The reason given by Wang Junlin is that the current consumer "drink less and drink good wine" has gradually become the main theme. "As the total volume of wine decreases, the quality requirements will increase. There is currently no shortage of wine in China, low-end wine is everywhere, people yearn for a better life, they all want to drink better things, so making good wine is our eternal pursuit. ”
Speaking of this, Wang Junlin mentioned the innovation in the quality of Langjiu brought by the new leadership team, "After the return of Bo Wei, we put forward 'ancient brewing, modern equipment, intelligent production' in terms of technology, and we now use a lot of new technologies to monitor the temperature of the cellar, the pH of the wine, etc., and a large number of new technologies are used to monitor the traditional process and standardize the latter, which is something that our generation has not done, so the innovation made by Bo Wei's generation makes me very gratified, we see the progress of technology, it will definitely bring a leap in quality." ”
Reporter|Xiong Jianan
Editor|Yi Qijiang
Vision|Cai Peijun
Video|Wang Haoyi, Chen Huatian, Zhao Yue
Typesetting|Yi Qijiang
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