“At present, Pingle’s products rank first in China’s milling industry in respect of export value, amounts of production and sale, and market share; Pingle is a specialized production enterprise that has the most complete specifications of equipment, the biggest size, the best quality, reputation and services, and higher sci-tech contents in this field, holding a market share of 35% on China’s domestic milling market. Pingle’s success comes from market-oriented philosophy, and quality products and best service to satisfy clients’ demands.”
Owing to its success to market-driven philosophy and producing quality-centric products as to the demands of its customers, Pingle Flour Machinery, researches and develops equipment with steel frame structure for integrated steel-structure buildings. Techic services of Pingle which has a share of 35 percent in Chinese milling market, provides technical services to demands of domestic clients in China within 24 hours, and to overseas clients within 48 hours.
Operating in China in 25 years, Pingle is aiming to expand in the industry with overseas investments. Emphasizing that they needs highly skilled employees to operate in order to excavate and realize its maximal value, Pingle General Manager Wu junyong established Pingle Academy to give Pingle’s clients professional training specially on new technologies and processes and equipment operation. Pingle General Manager Wu Junyong gives us the details about the company’s success, targets, R&D works and technology solutions.
Pingle Flour Machinery is one of the leading companies in milling technologies industry. Could you please tell us the history of Pingle and how it headed to its success?
Pingle Company was established in Oct.10, 1991, formerly Pingle Flour Machinery Repair Plant that mainly engaged in maintenance/repair and improvement of old flour machinery at the time. Over five years since then, we had been summarizing strengths and weaknesses of equipment of all plants on the market, and meanwhile, keeping access to changes of demands of clients; in Oct. 1995, Pingle started making small-and medium-sized machinery sets closely following market demands. In 2003, Pingle established the market strategy of diversified operations with grain machinery engineering equipment manufacture as the main business. On the one hand, grain machinery manufacture keeps being innovated in products, and has more complete specifications, as well as specialized production equipment of miscellaneous grain such as maize, pepper, and brewing are further researched/developed; on the other hand, we have vigorously extended our business to overseas investment fields, etc., and achived good social and economic benefits. Pingle’s success comes from market-oriented philosophy, and quality products and best service to satisfy clients’ demands.
Could you talk about Pingle’s technological solutions? We know that you offer turn-key solutions to your customers; but what are the technologies created in Pingle?
In respect of hardware, Pingle has researched/developed equipment with steel frame structure, equipment for integrated steel-structure buildings, etc. to satisfy demands of different clients in different periods. In respect of milling process, Pingle has intensified shelling design to make materials realize gradient distribution according to difference of quality, and thus effectively reduce ash content of flour, and raise processing precision of flour. Core grinding design has been intensified to realize wide and short core grinding, and raise use efficiency of milling machinery, with the result of effectively avoiding repeated grinding, and hold inherent nutritional ingredients in flour.
What can you say about the innovations, different and innovative solutions that you have brought to the milling industry with your history of more than 20 years?
Over the past 25 years of development, Pingle has been following market demands; in the course of the transition from small-sized equipment to large-and medium-sized equipment, Pingle has researched/developed equipment with steel frame structure, and this equipment has a short period of construction, compact structure, nice appearance, and low costs, thus solving funds bottleneck in development of small- and medium-sized clients. Afterwards, sets of equipment for integrated steel-structure buildings were researched/developed; clients only need to well make foundation barns, and steel-structure buildings and flour machinery equipment can be installed in an integrated way, which has advanced processes, a small covering land, a short period of construction, economical and practical. For example, a set of 6-storey 300T equipment for steel-structure buildings only needs six months from laying a foundation to going into production, making clients free from worry and not strenuous. Steady and excellent performance of equipment brings good economic benefits to clients.
Could you give us some information about your role, place both in Chinese industry and in global milling industry, and your share in milling market? How many countries have you reached and how many turn-key flour plants have you installed in more than 20 years?
At present, Pingle’s products rank first in China’s milling industry in respect of export value, amounts of production and sale, and market share; Pingle is a specialized production enterprise that has the most complete specifications of equipment, the biggest size, the best quality, reputation and services, and higher sci-tech contents in this field, holding a market share of 35% on China’s domestic milling market. Over the past few years, Pingle keeps increasing inputs in sci-tech development, purchases automatic equipment of production and testing, makes more efforts in after-sale services, and possesses certain competitiveness on the overseas market. Pingle’s products have covered more than 30 countries/regions including Canada, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Russia, Vietnam, Tajikistan, Egypt, and Kenya.
Could you inform us about your organization abroad? In which countries do you have agencies, partnerships or offices?
PINGLE products were distributed worldwide across more than 40 countries and regions. We set up servise base, offices, fluting workshop and agencies aboard. Our agencies distribution is as below: three in Africa, three in Middle east, four in Asia and one in South America.
It is very important to keep production continuous for the industries like milling, in which the competition is intense and time is precious. Therefore a possible failure should be overcome as soon as possible. Could you please give us some information about the technical services that Pingleoffers to its customers? For instance, how much time does it take to provide technical service to the farthest place?
Time is benefits; Pingle’s after-sale service tenet is always: Think What Clients Want, and Care What Clients Care. Pingle Company adopts the system of one-to-one door services, tour services, remote guidance, service centers, resident engineers, key equipment with global joint-guarantee, etc. to ensure satisfying service demands of overseas and domestic clients. Pingle commits itself to providing technical services to demands of domestic clients in China within 24 hours, and to overseas clients within 48 hours.
As you know, another significant issue for an effective production process is training. No matter how developed or successful they are, if the technologies that you produce cannot be utilized usefully, reaching the target may be difficult. Do you provide training for the staff who will work in production after you complete the installation of a factory or machine? Could you give us some information about your works on this issue?
Actually, excellent equipment needs highly skilled employees to operate in order to excavate and realize its maximal value. In Oct. 2013, Pingle Company established Pingle Academy for Milling Enterprise Profit-making Mode to give Pingle’s clients professional training specially on new technologies and processes of Pingle’s products and matters needing attention in the course of equipment operation, etc. instead of a mere guidance of product manuals. This mode has received unanimous recognition and favorable comments from domestic clients, and achieved mutual benefit and win-win. Pingle lays more emphasis on training and guidance of overseas clients; starting from the date when equipment enters places of installation, the entire work of training is immediately launched, and runs through the whole course of installation and debugging. In addition, tour after-sale services are carried out once or twice a year to give professional technical guidance to current issues of equipment operation on the one hand, and conduct screening of hidden troubles of equipment with a view to guiding clients to establish early warning and troubleshooting plans on the other hand.
Today’s competition conditions force the technology producers to be very fast and active. As any developed technologic product can become out of date quickly, it is necessary to run after innovation constantly in order not to lose power. Can this be applied to the milling industry too? What is the average life span of a new and improved milling technology in today’s conditions? How long does a technology remain “innovative”?
The philosophy of keeping innovation to promote enterprise development is applicable to all enterprises. Social development is a course based on constant progress. And likewise, Pingle’s development is also a course along with sci-tech innovation. At present, a new milling technology has an average life of 3-5 years in China, and generally 5-8 years in other countries, affected by regions, dietary structure, and levels of development.
Applying rapid changes and innovative developments in digital technologies to milling industry must be quite difficult and require serious R&D studies. Could you tell us about Pingle’s works on this issue? Could you give us some information about your R&D studies and the budget you prepared for these studies? Could you tell us which issues you focus on for R&D studies?
Pingle R&D Center is in the charge of experts having several years of experience in grain machinery R&D in China, engages known experts and professors in this field as technical consultants, keeps cooperation with overseas and domestic famous colleges/universities, and research institutes, and grasps the newest development trends and leading core technologies in the grain machinery industry. The R&D Center has more than 120 personnel of R&D and design, and up to now, achieved more than 10 patents of invention, and 50 patents for utility models. Pingle’s annual R&D expense budget makes up around 10% of annual sales. Pingle R&D Center lays more emphasis on programs of food safety, production process of special-purpose flour, etc...
Could you tell us about the innovations that you have developed recently and the advantages & gains that these innovations provided to the industry? What are the new technologies thatyou offer to the millers in the following period?
Pingle has recently researched/developed such new products as new-type milling machinery, new-type high box screens, and new-type specific gravity graded stone remover that have been appraised as sci-tech achivements of Hebei Province. Achievements of innovation have been successfully transformed into productivity and gone into production above a designated scale through advanced processing equipment. Products are sold to large-and medium-sized grain processing enterprises in China, and exported to Ethiopia, India, Brazil, etc. for increasing company’s economic benefis. Subsequently Pingle will provide better and mature specialized milling technologies for flour plants.
What do you think about the reasons why millers choose the technologies of Pingle? What kind of advantages and gains does a miller have when he/she prefers Pingle in order to renovate its technology or establish a new plant? In short, what do you promise to the millers?
Pingle’s commitment to clients is: Making clients timesaving, free from worry and not strenuous. Pingle offers clients that choose Pingle’s complete sets of flour machinery equipment the turn-key solutions that cover architectural design, process design, automation design, production/manufacture, and installation and debugging. Main strengths are few suppliers, low costs, short periods of construction, good product quality and compatibility, and guaranteed after-sale services. They have no problems of poor compatibility of assembly equipment, difficulties in removing troubles, long time in solving troubles, losses to clients, etc…
What would you like to add about your future plans?
Pingle will further make more inputs in technical R&D, improve product structure, research/develop single products with high automation and high added value, and improve milling processes to raise market competitiveness of Pingle’s equipment, as well as extend to grain-related storage equipment and conveyance equipment while committing itself to flour machinery manufacture.