There is a clear-cut distinction between technicians and engineers. The former belongs to Blue Collar, while the latter belongs to White Collar. The two groups have different identities like two parallel lines. In Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group, the two are encouraged to interact with each other. Their biggest intersection was from the end of May this year when the Science and Technology Association and Technician Association of Yuchai merged to handle official businesses in a United Office. Chen Jinyuan, president of Technician Association, served as president of Science and Technology Association concurrently.

Yan Ping, board chairman of Yuchai Group, said both technological talents and skilled talents who represented the high-quality and creative labor force were the treasures of Yuchai.

Liang Ping, chairman of the labor union of Yuchai Group, said: This is a powerful combination. A fusion of technological talents and skilled talents is convenient for them to learn from each other. She said that the powerful scientific and technological innovation capacity stemmed from the excellent worker and technician team of technicians and the technological talent team.

Ning Xingyong, Party secretary of Yuchai Machinery Co., Ltd. told the reporter that they set up full-time institution and arranged full-time staff to coordinate and manage the two associations, so as to integrate the resources of the Technological Association and Technician Association. He stressed: The key to the realization of the idea is that we have a chief technician, Chen Jinyuan.

Technician of Yuchai   Life can be such wonderful

Chen Jinyuan is a star known to all in Yuchai.

After graduated from junior high school at the age of 17, he started out as an apprentice of the bench worker. Now, Yuchai has developed from Yulin Quantang Industrial Cooperative to Chinese Capital of Green Power and has become the internal combustion engine manufacturing base with the most complete spectrum of products in the country over sixty years. Chen Jinyuan grows up with the steps of Yuchai: In the technological development period, computer became the tool and he taught himself to become the first technician who were able to use the computer graphics skillfully; in the period of technological introduction, facing engineering drawings in English, he was the first technician who could read English drawings through self-study.

When Yuchai was working on the development of diesel oil engines for cars, he acted as the group leader of the project team and led several people to tackle technical difficulties. The engine mould was successfully designed and manufactured only in three months. At that time, the same mould produced in Germany needs 1.9 million Euros and eight months, while the team of Chen Jinyuan only spent RMB 1.5 million Yuan.

Known as the King of Mould, Chen Jinyuan led Yuchai to an era of inner timber and outer plastic from metal mould for new products, which shortened the production duration by one-third compared with the original technology through being stuck on mould designing and manufacturing. Now, under his leadership, Yuchai becomes the first enterprise realizing rapid manufacturing without the use of moulds in the industry and the manufacturing duration was cut down from 90 days to 30 days. For him, 3D printing is a working method in use.

When Chen Jinyuan was tackling technological problems, he was prestigious in his team with both technicians and technological talents said Ning Xingyong. He also referred to that if led by Chen Jinyuan, the two forces would cooperate more closely, bringing out the effect of 1+12.

The seamless joint of engineers and technicians improves the efficiency of the project. Chen Jinyuan experienced the benefits personally and had many insights in the external exchanges. When the enterprise organized visits to German, he made a special investigation on the combination of engineers and technicians of the enterprise. The conclusion of the investigation was that the two groups of the German enterprise integrated tightly. Therefore, both in R&D and manufacturing, the German enterprise could keep timely communication and solve the problem quickly in case of problems. Chen Jinyuan extended his investigation: Close integration of design and manufacturing is the only way to forge powerful manufacturer.

Speaking of the coordination work of the two associations, Chen Jinyuan said: In the past, the two associations ran independently. Now theyre working together to realize advantageous complementarities and form joint forces. As far as future planning, he said: well drive the technological progress in future based on the projects, and set various sectors according to technological types to effectively manage the activities and projects of the two associations.

Technician Association   Abundant activities and strong influence

In this adjustment, there is a very important background. The Technician Association carried out numerous activities, which made the members of the Science and Technology Association jealous. So our company wanted to further motivate the creative passion of the scientific and technical personnel, especially those in the basic levels by the experience and method of the Technician Association. said Ning Xingyong.

Yuchai Technician Association was founded in 2008. At initial stages, there were only 320 technicians. Currently, the number has exceeded 1,200. Every year, the association organizes large-scale site activities of unique skills. Only in 2012, the association hosted 5 large-scale activities such as achievement exhibition of the high-skilled talents.

The 2012 Annual Yuchai Achievement Exhibition of the High-skilled Talents was hosted on December 29. More than 550 technicians and employees took part in the activity. Except 36 real achievements and 28 pictures exhibited in the main venue, 7 items of skill performance were put on in the practical training area. According to incomplete statistics, 2,500 persons visited the exhibition of the new achievements. Every year, Yuchai holds such activity for two or three times, which motivates the passion of the workers on learning technologies and innovating.

In the same year, there were 23 technological achievements worked out by the high-skilled talents, 5 special projects of eliminating mistakes and omissions and 7 organization and management awards were recognized in the Commendation Conference of Yuchai Group. More than 320 employees were awarded. Yan Ping presented the awards to high-skilled talents in person and took group photos with them. In 2013, Yuchai continued investing RMB 1 million Yuan to amply award those talents. The high-skilled talents have been amply rewarded for four consecutive years by the company with huge investment. Currently, this activity has become a system.

To help the subsidiary companies develop rapidly with the parent company simultaneously, the Technician Association undertook the responsibility of technical skill assistance, actively communicated with them, and developed technical skills transmission activity. Only in 2012, 60 technicians were sent to subsidiary companies to receive technical guidance and professional training. The influence of Yuchai Technician Association rapidly spreads to various subsidiaries of Yuchai Group.

Those activities stimulate the initiative of the front-line workers and enhance the sense of belonging and identity among workers. More importantly, the technological level of the workers is improved by those practical problem-solving activities held by the Association. introduced Ning Xingyong. He also said that more and more young workers grew fast and improved their skills through activities such as technical lectures, daily fault analysis consultation, and experience exchange. Therefore, technicians of the supporting plants and partners of Yuchai also applied for joining the Technician Association.

Honest men will not suffer losses and opportunities are prepared for those who love learning and who are talented.

Chen Jinyuan said except the warmhearted personnel of the Technician Association who give no consideration of pay and gain, the smooth implementation of the activities was also inseparable from the strong support of the company. I take part in all the activities of the Association as long as Im home. Yan Ping did what he said. As the leader of Yuchai, he took the initiative to create an atmosphere of respecting workers and valuing talents and proposed the slogan-to build the famous technical work team nationwide.

Under this atmosphere, technicians in Yuchai live their life to the fullest with pride: A common worker can have many golden opportunities as long as he loves learning, is talented, and ponders on the problems frequently.

Our company also conducts quarterly star employee activity in the production units. Every quarter, we will select 10 star employees recommended by the workshops and plants. The common worker has the opportunity to present his insights and show his ability on the rostrum before the management as long as he has some shining point. Ning Xingyong introduced that there were over 20,000 employees in Yuchai, but only some outstanding ones would be awarded. Through the quarterly star activity, attention would be paid to more employees. We can not underestimate the sense of pride and incentive function brought by those activities. Through those activities, no matter how honest the employee is, he still has the opportunity to be discovered and will not be buried as long as he is talented. Honest men in Yuchai will not suffer losses.

Gu Lin, an employee of cold processing plant of Yuchai, returned to Yuchai after graduated from the technical school in 2009. In only a few years, he becomes the youngest senior technician. Born in 1986, he has got the certificate of senior technician.

Looking back his growth process, he wants to pay thanks to his master, the training center, and the Technician Association. Activities such as handing-down teaching method, technical skill improvement enhanced by competition, and achievement exhibition of high-skilled talents are all advantageous conditions for his rapid growth.

To elevate the quality of the technicians, Yuchai also vigorously promotes the talent cultivation activity of dual masters. Namely, it encourages the workers to apply for engineer certificate. Currently, Yuchai has 48 dual masters talents and He Xiangjin, a senior technician and engineer, is an outstanding example among them.

With double professional titles, He Xiangjin is an equipment maintenance worker. In the past, he was afraid of speaking in public. Now, as a trainer of equipment maintenance, he conducts research by integrating his work and has won three patent certifications, 3 equipment and technical reform awards of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 5 equipment rebuilding awards of the company, and his 6 technical experience papers have been published on technical periodicals at national level.

This is an intersection of technicians and technical talents in Yuchai. However, the active figures are more technicians in this intersection.

Paying attention to the development of technical personnel and technicians is the tradition of Yuchai. Every year the company allocates more than RMB 2 million Yuan to award technical personnel and RMB 1 million Yuan to award technician team. However, compared with the wide range of incentives and numerous award-winning projects of technicians, the scientific research projects and their winners are limited. Therefore, vast majority of the ordinary technical personnel with quiet dedication seem somewhat reticent compared with the active technicians.

It is gratifying that since the foundation of the Technician Association and Science and Technology Association, a majority of engineering technicians, especially the front-line technicians were no longer silent because they found a warm home. For the two associations were under co-ordinated management, a "two-association" office was newly established to strengthen the management of and care for the engineering technicians. With the increasingly high enthusiasm of them, the number of Science and Technology Association members increased from last year's 860 to this year's 1,566, almost in double.

Learning from the management experience of Technician Association, activities of the Science and Technology Association also increased. In addition to the daily recreational activities, the association and Foundry Society also hosted the Annual Meeting of China Electrical Machinery Enterprises and Pan-Pearl River Delta Casting Exchange Meeting which created an opportunity of experience exchange and technologies learning for the engineering technicians of Yuchai. Next, the two associations will jointly hold annual new results show. This show will be a "dual show" including both technicians and engineers.

To enhance the construction of the creative labor force and give a better play to the leading role of engineering technical personnel in technological innovation, the Science and Technology Association formulated the Reward System on Technological Achievements of Engineering Technical Personnel of Yuchai Group and Methods on Technical Project Management of Engineering Technical Personnel of Yuchai Group under the strong support of the leadership of Yuchai to involve most innovations of engineers and technicians into the scope of incentives to stimulate the innovation and enthusiasm of this group. The association set 64 award projects, involving 20 units and departments such as manufacturing, quality, and R&D.

In the future, through learning from the working mode of the Technician Association, the technical personnel team will be fully mobilized. When the research personnel shine out, the grassroots scientific research personnel will fully display their elegant demeanor. said Ning Xingyong.

(Source: Workers Daily  Yang Zhaomin Li Chunmei Yang Mingze )