“China can manufacture excellent rockets and high-speed trains – why can’t it produce simple ballpoint pen tips?

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This post was last edited by Hua Ge on 2016-1-24 at 14:17. First question: If China can manufacture rockets and high-speed trains successfully, why can’t it produce simple ballpoint pens? Second question: Can a tiny ballpoint pen tip accommodate originality and a commitment to value? Qiu Zhiming, chairman of Beifa Group, recently said that his company produces around 3 billion ballpoint pens per year, and each pen yields only a few cents in profit – such is the reality of this industry. So, who took the bigger share? Foreigners. The small pen tip actually accounts for the largest share of a ballpoint pen’s profit. Data shows that although China supplies 80% of the ballpoint pens in the world, nearly 90% of the refill cartridges for these pens are imported, costing 200 million in foreign exchange each year. The Japanese take the money for the materials, Switzerland and Germany take the money for the equipment, while we only earn a meager wage as laborers. How did it come to this? Lack of core technologies. None of the more than 3,000 pen manufacturing companies in China possesses the core technologies for producing high-end pen tips and high-end inks. The tiny pen reflects the challenges faced by \"Made in China\". A ballpoint pen tip may seem simple, but it actually has a lot of complexity within it. The opening at the tip of the pen is less than 0.1 millimeters thick, yet it must withstand the pressure and friction resulting from various writing positions, while also fitting tightly around the ball bearing; it needs to ensure smooth writing without any ink leakage. Therefore, its hardness, opening size, and ink tank position must be perfectly matched. Therefore, each parameter determined by the computer must be calculated with precision to one-tenth of a hair’s thickness, and the processing error must not exceed 0.3 hairs. So the question arises: if \"Made in China\" can produce rockets and high-speed trains, why can it not manufacture simple ballpoint pen tips? According to Tang Tao, deputy minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the issue of \"ballpoint pens not working well\" is ultimately related to the training of skilled professionals. “From a major manufacturing country to a strong manufacturing power, we still have a significant gap in talent development. ”There are several key points: overall, there is still a severe shortage of professional and technical talent in China; certain fields lack expertise of a high standard, and it is necessary to reshape the \"human capital\" behind Chinese manufacturing and elevate the status of \"blue-collar workers\". Tang Tao also said, \"In special industries such as those in the military sector, China has more master craftsmen. In some traditional industries, however, we still lack a sufficient number of senior technicians, top-tier technicians, and expert technicians.\" ” According to available data, skilled workers in China currently account for only 19% of the total employed population, with highly skilled professionals making up less than 5% of that figure ； There is a shortage of over 4 million skilled workers in the manufacturing sector. Taking the electronics and information industry as an example, technicians and senior technicians account for only 3.2% of all technical workers, whereas in developed countries this figure is generally between 20% and 40%. Well, let’s turn to the second question: many fields lack a sense of originality. So, can a small ballpoint pen tip accommodate such originality and a commitment to value? My answer is that of course it fits; that is precisely where the core technology lies. The Germans establishing a doctoral degree for the design and manufacturing of a single screw is an example of this, and the achievements of the pen makers in Shanghai also serve as proof. Ying Ming was originally a mold maker at the Shanghai Hero Pen Factory. After more than 20 years of research and effort, he developed new pen tips that contain no lead at all, thus initially realizing his dream of creating ballpoint pen tips of Chinese origin. At the beginning of 2013, when a product test report was sent in from the United States, an international order for 280 million pen tips followed. This is thanks to the resin pen tip production equipment developed by Ying Ming. Media reports suggest that Ying Ming spent two years conducting over 2,000 experiments, at a cost of around 10 million yuan. In fact, over the course of all this time, he spent more than twenty years enduring the loneliness of not being recognized by his peers. Perhaps, the ability to endure loneliness is precisely the dividing line between craftsmen and artisans; this dedication and commitment to perfecting one’s skills on the tip of a ballpoint pen perfectly embody the essence of a craftsman. The essence of a craftsman is not necessarily about “creating” something, but rather an attitude of meticulous attention to detail and a pursuit of excellence. That requires excellent self-control. Lao Ma believes that we indeed lack \"master craftsmen of a great nation,\" and it is true that certain fields suffer from a lack of originality. Yet, in an era marked by haste and chaos, we need even more to cultivate such master craftsmen, foster a spirit of craftsmanship, and create an environment that values tranquility. And isn’t this precisely the core strength that the entire “Made in China” initiative needs to improve? I borrow a couplet by Weng Tonghe, a notable figure from the late Qing dynasty, to address the great craftsmen in my mind: \"In facing major challenges, one must maintain composure; I don’t believe that there are no wise people in these times.\" When faced with countless distractions and temptations, yet still able to remain calm and true to one’s original intentions, such a person is no different from the ancient sages and wise men.