Allied Fastenings owners and Directors Paul and Janscie visited China for the first time in October to finally meet some of Allied Fastenings Chinese suppliers.
They travelled to the vast, colourful, busy city of Shanghai first and indulged in the scenic delights that Shanghai has to offer. The safest, cleanest and most organised city was definitely an eye opener for them both.
“Quality infrastructure starts with quality manufacturing — and that begins at the source.”
Janscie
Travelling to Hai Yan to visit lots of factories gave a real insight into the capabilities that China has to offer and there was a real mix of technology along side people power. China, like NZ is struggling to find good people to work in factories and need younger workers.
North to Shangdong
Travelling 3.5 hours north on the bullet train (at 300 km/hr) to visit the province of Shandong and the city of Tengzhou was a highlight.
The factory visited here was focussed on international exporting of stainless steel products.
The size of the complex with multiple factories, staff accommodation facilities, the automated warehousing, and the machinery was just mind blowing.
China has really utilised and mastered the use of technology and robotics.
Nishan in Qufu
One supplier took them to a very special place – the birthplace of Confucious, Nishan in Qufu
With the largest statue you’ve ever seen, the grounds are immaculate and the incredibly large ‘learning centre’ was the most impressive building inside. Room after room, there were incredibly beautiful, well thought out, inspiring and reflective rooms to meditate, study, learn, read and observe.
A Culinary Experience in Jiaxing
Again, they were spoilt by suppliers who took them on a culinary experience.
The final city visited was Jiaxing which is west of Shanghai. A very pretty city with a strong cultural heritage. Suppliers based here took then to Wuzhen which is an ancient water town – around 1300 years old.
Immersion into Chinese Culture
With the help of an English interpreter, Paul and Janscie were able to learn about the silk worm and silk weaving, the making of soy sauce and the ancient art of clothes dyeing.
An amazing country with the best hospitality, safest cities and culture you can immerse yourself in. They are already looking forward to the next trip to China.