Yuchai will make all skilled industrial workers live wonderful lives. On November, 29, skill masters, Chen Jinyuan, Chi Zhaojiu, Yang Wanye, and etc., put such hope of Mr. Yan Ping, board chairman of Yuchai Group, into practice. They interpret their own brilliant lives to more than 800 technicians, assistant engineers and engineers from various units of Yuchai Group. In the 2013 Skill Master Studying Abroad & Inspection Seminar, they show their achievement during inspection tours abroad and share the thoughts and ideas concerning casting techniques, mould technologies, no-mould fast manufacturing technologies, mould management, machine tool equipment technologies and new technical information about diesel engine, and etc.

Yuchai lies in the remote Guangxi Province, but its vision is in the world. Its Yuchais convention to dispatch technical backbones and management backbones to the most advanced enterprises in the world to make investigations. This year, skill masters join in this team to expand their horizons and views. 12 skill masters have been on their inspection tours to some enterprises in Germany, Italy and other European countries with developed mechanical industry in two batches in October.

At first, we are shocked; then, we shall recognize the gap; finally, we must step up. As a member of the first inspection group, Mr. Chen Jinyuan, the president of Technician Association and the Chief Skill Master shares his experiences on the report-back meeting: Only first-class talents can make first-class products. It needs efforts of several generations to keep up with the advanced technology level abroad. We shall develop measures and methods, and make benchmarking breakthrough.

Blue spirits utter new words freely

Yuchais factory uniform is in blue color. Many Yuchai people called blue spirits always appear around wide streets and narrow lanes. Even when they have food in stalls, some nouns, such as lean manufacturing and TPM would suddenly jump out from their mouth. Seeing this phenomenon, one media person having a good understanding to Yuchai explains that its because Yuchai continuously learns from the outstanding enterprises at home and abroad and continuously puts new learning outcomes into practice and application.

Frequently ask and think much to find gaps, actively learn foreign advanced manufacturing technologies, and apply technologies acquired to actual work after coming back, so as to improve Yuchais technology levels. Ms Liang Ping, the Labour Union Chairman of Yuchai Group, has the same idea with the skill masters. Before departure, the technicians from sectors of mould, internal combustion engine, casting, equipment maintenance and mechanical processing had made enough preparatory work. With the development of the company, more and more advanced equipment is manufactured, but we cant fully understand whole manufacturing process of the equipment. We must learn a lot of most advanced equipment manufacturing technologies during our inspection tour, so as to provide technical support to Yuchais equipment upgrade later. The view of skill master Liu Xianli is of much representativeness.

Talent internationalization is achieved and the management level is in line with international standards. Yuchai has been run in the way of achieving the goal of internationalization, step by step. As for overseas investigation this time, Mr. Ning Xingyong, the Party Secretary of Yuchai Group, wishes the skill masters to share the knowledge they acquired, and make practices in the production and operations, for the purpose of creating more international first-class results and truly becoming geared to international standards in aspects of products, processes, materials, cultures and staff quality.

Skill masters also deeply realize a lot during this overseas investigation. Chen Jinyuan said that, Learn foreign advanced technologies and skills, find the gap between us with Europe as the benchmark, let the technicians improve their technology levels to international advanced technology levels, and finally initiate the staff to learn technologies and skills with technical backbones as foregoers, so as to further improve Yuchai Brand and facilitate our company to transform form a large manufacturing enterprise to a strong manufacturing enterprise..

Grasp essences in foreign companies

During the 10-day tour, the skill masters investigated 6~7 enterprises, covering more than 5,000 km. They kept observing and thinking all the time. China is a large manufacturing country, but far not a manufacturing power. They understand this truth, so they make comparisons at any time and find gaps at every place. As its always said that Experts grasp the essence, while the amateurs notice the surface. there will be many discoveries after comparison.

In one famous professional mould factory in Germany, Chen Jinyuan found that they carry out a set of standard mould inspection process. He said We should draw lessons from foreign validation method, solve the problems before physical verification, carry out standard pre-acceptance evaluation program and reduce physical verification times. The skill masters also found out many details that can be used for reference at the production site. For example, the problem of Easy change of the wrong position will not happen just by setting out a simple Physical mould change mark. He also said that Detail is of vital importance, and it will determine success or failure. So we must promote the details that can be easily achieved.

In a company whose customers are Mercedes-benz and BMW, Chen Jinyuan and other skill masters also found that their equipment in casting factory is even older than Yuchais, but they possesses top casting technologies, so their casting quality is better. For example, the innovative jet flow principle etc., they produce ultra-thin sand core with high and new technology, which can bear hot burning by 1,400 molten iron, and can not be damaged and sintered. This is the difference between the famous brand and common product, Chen Jinyuan said.

Besides, Qin Maohua found during the visit that the company corrects stress bending deformation of strip parts caused during welding process by flame heating method. The key point lies in that such work shall be operated by more experienced workers. After the technology being mastered, the advantages are that working allowance of workblank can be greatly reduced and material cost be saved.

What most impresses the skill master Yang Wanye is that, when visiting one famous factory, he observed the whole assembling process of five-axle linkage processing center of DMU/CduoBLOCK series of dragon gate. This very versatile processing center can carry out horizontal-vertical conversion processing, and can process several faces of a box in one clamping action. Its unique B axle construction has strong cutting torque; therefore, it is very suitable for V type machine body processing and mould processing of complex surface. When visiting another famous factory, he noticed their tool changer and changing method with patented technology. He was very envious, the whole tool changing process can work well at the same time during equipment processing, which is very suitable for trial-manufacture and rapid changeover production. Yuchai has a great many production lines, so his implication is very clear.

Green Manufacturing has become a conscientiousness of Yuchai people. Liang Yibin discovered that the companies carry out low carbon and green manufacturing process, namely, achieving energy saving by using reduced power. He quoted several examples, NTX1000 machine tool uses LED lighting, achieving high efficiency running while reducing power consumption. Lighting within the machine has automatic open and close functions, which can save power and increase service life of the machine tools interior lighting lamp. Some companies adopt oil mist separating unit and oil mist collector etc. during manufacturing process.

Keep up with benchmarking enterprises step by step

The skill masters, whose horizons have been greatly widened, learned many available skills and also found a large gap. Chi Zhao held the opinion that, as for mould production level, when compared with the most advanced European standards, the gap is larger. But nobody was disappointed. All the skill masters are looking for paths to catch up.

Some things can be applied after being brought in. Chi Zhao found during the investigation that, one mould company uses the same outline mould base as Yuchai Casting Center, but there is a small square hole in its right corner root. The effect of such a small square hole is to reduce stress, and we can use this practice during our mould design, he said.

During the investigation, Yang Diqiang found that, these European companies are equipped with electric torque wrenches, and the torque is controlled by equipment. It can reduce errors caused by artificial factors. Yuchai shall increased investment to equip complete production tools, such as electric torque wrench.

While investigating one engine research and development company, Chen Tangbiao found it owns the world's most advanced technologies and concepts. He hereby recommended technical experts of Yuchai Engineering Institute to strengthen communication and cooperation with them, aiming to inject new cutting-edge concepts in aspects of improving large torque and low revolving speed technology, crankshaft driving technology and pressurization technology of Yuchais engine.

Combining Yuchais existing equipment and technical capabilities, Chi Zhao proposed that, the primary task at present is to adjust and tackle using of programming software and selection of tools and parameters, to improve the processing capacity and quality of mould, make numerical control machining get close to no-polishing technology requirements of the mould as far as possible, free mould fitter from heavy mold polishing, and let they do other more valuable work.

For the future, he recommended gradually adding high-speed CNC processing equipment, large EDM machine and planer-type surface grinder and cultivate a large number of stable mould manufacturing personnel, so as to make the Yuchais mould manufacturing reach the international level.

Chen Jinyuan put forward specific objectives: take special high-end technology project as the breakthrough and carry out casting quality research, so as to promote technology improvement and cost reduction, and finally cast out the workblanks and competitive products of engine bodies and cylinder head with German technical level.

Studying and visiting abroad is only a little part of our overseas learning activities. I have found the technical promotion direction in the future, but the most important thing is to transfer what we have observed and learned within the technician team, letting more technicians understand such advanced manufacturing technologies which deeply moved us. Chen Tangbiao recommended the Company to establish training, teaching and communication platforms, so as to turn knowledge into productivity through lectures, interviews and on-site technical exchanges as soon as possible, for the purpose of making preparations to Yuchais equipment upgrade.

The most important factor deciding a brand is people. Chen Jinyuan said, We can only manufacture equally famous engine as Mercedes-benz by cultivating a team as excellent as it.

(Source: Workers' Daily   Yang Zhaomin   Li Chunmei   Li Wei)