Narrator: Jigar (Chinese Yang Zhibin) (Qi and International Partner)
Finisher: Old Wolf
India is a country that ordinary Chinese like to talk about but are unfamiliar with. For this country, Chinese definitely not like it, but it is necessary to pay attention.
In the global ceramic market, the impact of Indian ceramics on Chinese ceramics in recent years is also very large, especially in recent years. In the field of ceramic exports, India implements an anti-dumping policy against China. Therefore, as an industry insider, it is also necessary to pay attention to the movements of indian counterparts.
The protagonist of this article is an Indian who has lived in China for a long time, and his views do not necessarily conform to our inherent perceptions. But we believe that his work experience and perspective reflect his world ceramic landscape as an Indian, and that this deserves our respect.
The following is what Kiger says:
▲ Qi and international partner Jigar, Chinese name Yang Zhibin
Nepal 5 years, keyword: retail
I have a bachelor's degree and majored in business administration in India.
One of my father's relatives started a company in Kathmandu, Nepal, and in 2003, I went to work at his company after graduating from college. He is also An Indian, who runs a decoration company and also imports ceramics and sanitary ware (specializing in indian tiles). It was he who took the initiative to find me.
At that time, I was a salesperson in the store, we sold tiles and bathrooms, tile specifications are 200mm× 200mm, 200mm×300mm, 300mm×300mm, 300mm×600mm, are small size tiles, 600mm×600mm is the largest specification, the price is 300 to 600 Nepalese rupees per square meter, equivalent to 15 to 30 yuan per square meter.
Nepalese bricks, generally with high water absorption rate of bricks, styles, colors are diverse, wall tiles, floor tiles are commonly used, but wall tiles usually use waist lines to distinguish between dark and light colors, with different tiles.
Nepalese dwellings are usually villa-type, with gardens, pagoda style, roofs with tiles and bricks, 150 square meters on the first floor, a construction area of 200 to 300 square meters, and bricked facades. Their villas range from two floors to three or four bathrooms. Counting down, an ordinary family, with tiles to spend 90,000 yuan, bathroom to use a total of 3,000 yuan.
Nepalese people will bargain for things, the first time is to investigate, they will look at a number of, repeatedly compare prices, determine to buy again, two or three times a month - not to buy all the materials at once, but to what progress the decoration and then buy what materials. Nepalese pay cash, and the largest denomination of the banknote is 1,000 rupees.
Nepalese, the average family will always have people to work abroad, such as India, the Middle East or European countries, and when they earn money, they will take back to their hometown to buy land and build a house.
I worked in Nepal from 2003 to 2008, and the owner packed room and board.
In 2003, my salary was 500 yuan, which rose every year, and by 2008, it had risen to 1500 yuan, which was still not enough.
China 4 years, keywords: procurement
In 2008, I came to Foshan, China, to do procurement in Chancheng, and still work for the indian boss, but he opened a company in India and imported Chinese tiles to India. At that time, I purchased 600mm× 600mm, 800mm× polishing tiles with 800mm specifications, and the procurement objects were New Zhongyuan, New Pearl and other enterprises.
600mm× 600mm specifications of the product, the purchase price is 4 US dollars per square meter; 800mm × 800mm specifications of the product, 4.5 US dollars a square meter. In India, 600mm×600mm products sell for $7.50 a square meter, 800mm × 800mm products sell for $8.50 a square meter, and the net profit is at least 25 points.
At that time, my salary rose to 3,000 yuan.
But I'm not in China for many years, but rotate on both sides.
In 2012, I returned to India as a purchasing manager at the company's headquarters, only once every six months in China, and my salary rose to 4,000 yuan. At that time, I purchased products with full glaze, microcrystalline, 1000mm × 1000mm specifications, which were purchased for $14 to $20 per square meter, and sold for $25 per square meter in India. This work continued until 2013.
▲Jigar is looking at the product
China 8 years, keywords: entrepreneurship
In 2013, I came to China again, and this year, I married my Chinese wife.
At this time, the Indian company no longer made Chinese tiles, and I broke off the cooperation with the company and helped my friends in India to do procurement, which is equivalent to doing self-employed in China. At this time, to develop customers on their own, the income is less.
In 2014, Alan (Qi and the head of international Kwong Lunling) called and invited me to cooperate, in the past he was doing exports in other companies, we had a good cooperation, he wanted us to sell Chinese tiles to India together. So I joined Qi And International.
From 2014 to 2017, I developed 6 Indian customers, also had a construction site in India, exported at least 80 containers a month, with an average container value of $5,000 and a month value of $40,000.
In 2015 and 2016, the two years are good, and the products we export to India are mainly 600mm× 600mm, 800mm× 800mm full glaze, polished tiles and porcelain pieces. India has developed rapidly and in high demand in those years.
During this time, I traveled to 8 countries on business, such as Sri Lanka, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, etc.
In 2017, India's anti-dumping to China, the business is much worse, but we have made the export of furniture products, including construction site customers, so from 2017 to 2019, the overall sales volume is also OK.
At this time, Alan and I also opened a company in India, selling India's large boards (including equipment and materials) to China, with a monthly value of $30,000.
I did not return to India in 2019, and in January 2020, the outbreak of the new crown epidemic has affected many countries because of the lockdown. Now our business is that there are more furniture exports and less tiles.
We are selling large plates in 2019, and in 2021, we start to do rock slab processing plants, while selling tiles imported from Italy. We also co-founded a store in India that sells furniture from China and sells $70,000 a month. This year's furniture export business is good, the single value of furniture is high, although only one cabinet is produced a month, but the value of the goods is 30,000 US dollars.
▲ Jigar works with colleagues to test product performance
Chinese model, keywords: division of labor and cooperation
As an Indian and having worked in China for a long time, I feel the differences between the two countries very strongly.
In my opinion, China's products have a strong sense of design, while India's products are not good enough, and there is a gap in design and manufacturing between the products of the two countries.
China's industrialization advantages are obvious. In India, to make a product, all are done by their own factories, all parts are made by themselves, unprofessional; while China is the division of labor, each part is to find the best manufacturers to do, the final finished product is very good.
Like our main business tiles, China's ceramic factories have a lot of kilns, Indian ceramic factories are generally 1 production line, the most only 2 production lines, and are small kilns, 250 meters long, or 200 meters. Chinese kilns are 300 meters long and 400 meters long.
Chinese factories are all open-minded, so the production efficiency is completely different.
For ordinary Chinese, my feeling is that they are more satisfied with the status quo and do not want to go abroad. It's easier to deal with Chinese. Chinese is now generally self-centered, in the past, as soon as I saw foreigners, I actively promoted products and made money very actively, but now I am a bit "proud", buy or not buy as you like.
Now, I bought a house in Foshan, my wife is from Hunan, my 3 children are Chinese, I have a Chinese driver's license myself, and I have a Chinese name: Yang Zhibin. I've become half a Chinese.