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.
Huixuan Tong (left) and Shicheng Huang, the founders of the Foshan Haohuade Sheet Metal Factory, have no regrets about taking the step into entrepreneurial independence.
Fochen Road in Foshan, southern China, wakes up early in the morning: this is where the city's large material markets are located, with its many stores lined up, one after the other.
Precision without compromise - the Foshan Haohuade Sheet Metal Factory stands for high-quality fittings and hinges
Step into independence
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.
Fascination with entrepreneurship
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.
Start with a tailwind
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.
Side by side: Friends Huixuan Tong (left) and Shicheng Huang walk the path to entrepreneurial success with a great deal of confidence and obvious pleasure in what they have achieved so far.
With a TruLaser 3060, Huixuan Tong (left) and Shicheng Huang (center) laid the technical foundation for their small job shop in Foshan. TRUMPF sales representative Kenny Shi assisted with the purchase.
New machine - new haircut
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.
