China News Service Shijiazhuang, May 1 (Xinhua) -- China-Cyprus ensemble on the Danube River plays "Steel Love Song"
China News Service reporter Chen Lin
Because of the song "Blue Danube", 40-year-old Yao Dan has longed to see the Danube since he was a child. It should be a "blue, soft" river, she thought. It wasn't until 2018, when Yao Dan moved from Shijiazhuang to work in Smederevo, Serbia, on the Danube, that this impression changed.
In 2016, Yao Dan's HBIS Group Co., Ltd. acquired the Smederevo steel plant. The former is one of the world's largest steel material manufacturing and integrated service providers, and is also China's most internationalized steel company, while the latter was once known as the "pride of Serbia", when it was on the verge of bankruptcy due to fierce competition in the international market and poor management.
The establishment of HBIS Group Serbia Iron and Steel Company (hereinafter referred to as "HBIS Saigang") innovatively put forward the overseas business strategy of localizing interests, employing people and culture, and rejuvenating the century-old factory. In 2016, the year of acquisition, it reversed seven consecutive years of losses. According to the data, in the past 8 years of operation, HBIS has accumulated operating income of more than 6 billion euros, and has been the largest export enterprise in Serbia for four consecutive years.
The data map shows the port of Hegang Saigang. (Photo courtesy of HBIS Group Co., Ltd.)
In 2018, Yao Dan was seconded to work at HBIS Saigang in Smederevo. It was here that she saw for the first time the Danube in her dreams, and saw "the hustle and bustle of the port of the river steel on the Danube". Yao Dan said that in the face of the busy scene of raw materials and products being transported in and out of the port, she will give birth to the feeling that this river is the lifeblood of Hegang Plug Steel Logistics, "It is a kind of 'sense of power' of transporting 'arteries'."
Located about 60 kilometers southwest of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, the small city of Smederevo is the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers. In a city of about 100,000 people, Yao Dan and his colleagues are involved in managing the steel plant, which is responsible for the livelihood of at least one-fifth of the local residents.
Outside of work, Yao Dan often walks along the banks of the Danube. This is one of the ways for her to relax and recharge, and at the same time, she also misses her family. On the riverside, she also saw the enthusiasm of local workers and their families at the steel mill for Chinese faces. "Behind the sense of closeness, thanks to the success of the production and operation of HBIS Saigang, more than 5,000 workers have really benefited. ”
The data map shows a panoramic view of the steel plant area of HBIS. (Photo courtesy of HBIS Group Co., Ltd.)
After two years of working abroad, Yao Dan has many Serbian friends, and he still greets and chats with each other through WeChat. She can't forget that Dvechersky, who has worked in a steel mill for three generations, wrote in the company's internal magazine: "It gives me a sense of security and belonging", and she remembers that the daughter of the worker Vesna wanted to grow up to become a Chinese translator after receiving a grant from the steel mill to study in China......
In April this year, HBIS (Serbia) Global Green and Intelligent Supply Chain Cooperation Conference was held in Belgrade, and Yao Dan returned to HBIS Saigang again. She found that more new changes have taken place in the factory: the new sintering machine project solves environmental protection problems while re-optimizing the production process and cost; after the enterprise supply chain and customers are grafted into HBIS's global procurement network and customers, the product market has gradually expanded from Central and Eastern Europe to more countries and regions...... "After the refurbishment of the plant, the slogan of 'Serbia's pride' has become eye-catching again." ”
Gao Feng, who used to be the head of the marketing department of HBIS, said that in the past eight years, the income of local employees has increased and remained stable, and all the profits of the steel plant have been invested in environmental protection, greening, energy conservation and emission reduction, etc., which has injected new vitality into the sustainable development and green development of the enterprise.
The data map shows the Chinese employees of HBIS Saigang exchanging and sharing experiences and methods with the Cypriot employees in combination with production problems. (Photo courtesy of HBIS Group Co., Ltd.)
Gao Feng still remembers the scene when he first arrived at HBIS Saigang: the huge slogan "Pride of Serbia" on the factory has become blurred because of the dust cover for many years, the equipment is relatively old, the loss of technical personnel is serious, the company has lost money for several years, and the management team has changed hands several times. "Local staff also maintain a wait-and-see attitude. ”
Working in Serbia for 5 years, Gao Feng recorded the four seasons of the Danube with his camera. In his eyes, the transportation of raw materials and finished products depends on the Danube. The radiation of the European market, mainly the countries along the Danube, "has the advantage of freight transportation by water".
During his stay in Serbia this year, Yao Dan once again came to the banks of the Danube. Today, the steel mill has two ports, and there are many ships queuing up to load goods. "When you see the busy port, you feel very reassured. From a regional steel company to a global steel company, HBIS Saigang has made Smederevo more dynamic. ”
Yao Dan told China News Service that Serbian colleagues always like to say that friends are the fruit of time. The Danube River bears witness to the Belt and Road Initiative that is benefiting more countries and peoples. "The story of the close cooperation between China and Cyprus is also spread on the banks of the beautiful Danube. ”
In fact, the establishment of HBIS Saigang is not only a high-quality cooperation between enterprises and the in-depth interaction between the people of the two countries, but also a modern factory with a new look, greener and more efficient resource allocation for the Serbian state, which provides strong support for the development of Smederevo City, and "a steel mill is a happy city" is a good story. As Serbian President Vučić said, "the healthy and rapid development of HBIS has provided a large number of local jobs and brought benefits to the people, "giving new life to the city of Smederevo". (ENDS)