The company founders in China: Motivated, and not withholding a single hair

Fochen Road is like a pigeon coop. Around the clock and seven days a week, people are producing, negotiating and buying. Not far from the Tanzhou-Shuidao River is one of Foshan's large material markets. The southern Chinese city is considered the center of furniture production. More than 3,000 factories there ensure a never-ending supply of building materials, furnishings and decorative items. They end up in living rooms, kitchens, offices and bathrooms, throughout the country and even distributed around the globe. As an exporter, China dominates the global furniture market.

In the middle of it all you find the Foshan Haohuade Sheet Metal Factory - a small job shop with big plans. Founded by Shicheng Huang and Huixuan Tong in spring 2020, the two friends ventured into professional self-employment. From then on, they wanted to make a living with metal fittings, rails, locks, guide systems and hinges - and, of course, to stir up the local market - at least a little.

This location was wisely chosen to earn good money with high-quality vendor parts. The narrow streets of the neighborhood are lined with stores, one after the other. The start-up's premises are constantly bustling with activity, and the pulse of a lively business life literally carries many customers and the current 25 employees along with it. "In such a competitive environment, only those who work reliably and offer exceptional quality will survive. That was clear to us right from the start," said Shicheng, describing the initial situation.

He and his business partner Huixuan have more than ten years of experience in metalworking and machine operation. The two young men met at their former employer. Neither of them was dissatisfied with his job, but they were fascinated by the idea of acting as entrepreneurs in a self-determined way and making decisions, realizing products and services exactly the way they want. The Foshan Haohuade Sheet Metal Factory was born. And with it the desire to equip the small, new factory with a laser machine tool from TRUMPF.

The founders had their sights set on the TruLaser 5040 - a universal laser cutting machine that stands for the best results without compromise and which both knew from their former company. TRUMPF sales representative Kenny Shi was ready to actively support the young company. After exhausting all the possibilities that came to mind, he came to the conclusion: "The investment in a TruLaser 5040 was on a scale that Shicheng and Huixuan simply couldn't handle," said Shi in retrospect.

The founders then looked into the option of using machines from Chinese manufacturers. But a direct comparison quickly brought them back to Kenny Shi, who this time advised leasing a TruLaser 3060.  Both sides worked heart and soul on the project for a long time  until the financing commitment for the leasing deal was finally made. In the end, however, this great effort paid off: The Foshan Haohuade Sheet Metal Factory was able to start its business with a TruLaser 3060 and a strong tailwind.

But that wasn't all: Just a short time later, TRUMPF supplied the two friends with an additional laser cutting machine from the entry-level segment. The TruLaser 1060 once again significantly expanded the production capacity of the Foshan Haohuade Sheet Metal Factory. On the day of delivery, Shicheng, beside himself with joy, spontaneously decided to make a very special show of loyalty: In a barbershop located very close to his company, the 32-year-old had the TRUMPF company logo shaved onto his head.

A 30-second video showing the young entrepreneur with his unusual hairstyle, as well as pictures of the machine set-up, went viral on the Chinese social media platform TikTok. "We forged a close bond of trust with TRUMPF during our start-up phase," Shicheng Huang and Huixuan Tong affirmed together. The short-cropped hair has grown back in the meantime. But the partnership between the two companies has endured.