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Kangnai finds inspiration in Communism

By Yu Ran (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-07-01 10:00

WENZHOU, Zhejiang - Leading shoemaker Kangnai Group has grown from being a simple processor of imported material and designs to becoming an independent manufacturer with its own brands and a designing team.

"We have been uniting our business with the spirit of the Communist Party of China and inspiring enthusiasm among the Party members of our staff, aiming to improve the steady development in the production and management of the enterprise," said Chen Zengxin, secretary of Kangnai Group's Communist Party of China committee.

The company, with fixed assets of 400 million yuan ($61.75 million), has more than 2,500 chain stores throughout China, and more than 100 shops in 10 countries in Europe and the United States.

Through brand building and innovation, the company has achieved huge market success. Last year, despite a gloomy global economy, Kangnai's sales saw an increase of more than 30 percent in France, its key market in Europe.

Kangnai's Party Committee sought to improve the lives of the employees by offering them training as well as building team spirit by organizing all sorts of culture-related activities including taking part in festivals, forming an arts group and holding regular labor skills competitions.

"Last year's cultural festival at our company included art performances by our staff, a speech contest and sports competitions such as table tennis, basketball and relay races," said Chen.

Kangnai Group has enrolled 73 new Party members within the past three years, most of whom are described as excellent employees who work on the production lines, in the administrative department and in the design department.

"The Party committee has the duty to gather excellent members of staff, help them to become outstanding Party members and then train them to become senior officers in the enterprise by leading the company to success," said Chen.

Kangnai enables employees to solve any emotional or psychological difficulties face-to-face in a counseling room, make phone calls to a specially-staffed hotline as well as send and receive information and suggestions to and from an online platform.

"As more workers endure increased pressure from work and families, we want to help them by taking care of their daily mental health as well as their attitude toward work," said Chen.

Kangnai is not the only domestic privately owned enterprise that combines the spirit of the Communist Party of China with corporate entrepreneurship to achieve business success.

Chint Group in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, owns more than 50 companies and has more than 800 professional collaboration plants with total assets of 4.2 billion yuan. In 1998 it became the first private enterprise to set up a Party committee in Zhejiang province and went on to great success.

"The success of Chint reflected the innovation of the teamwork in the company, which was supported by the Chint culture and the Party," said Lin Kefu, secretary of the Chint Group Co Ltd's Communist Party of China committee.

The company established a four-leader production team structure. These teams have an administrative leader, a Party leader, a trade union leader and a Communist Youth League leader.

The team leaders take care of employees in both their work and daily lives and encourage them to offer suggestions for the development of the company.

This helps not only the committee but also the company grow bigger and stronger and realize its sustainable and scientific development, said Lin.

In Zhejiang, a hub of China's leading privately owned enterprises, Xinya Investment Group of China is one of the largest printing companies with assets of 280 million yuan.

Its Party committee launched two years ago and has set up an employee charity fund, an e-book library and helped increase the standard of the food service for employees.

Xinya has a tradition of holding a 10-minute morning meeting at which employees and Party members share information and views on their work and lives.

"We aim to encourage more workers to join the Party and participate in Party activities by taking care of each other and building up a big warm family atmosphere," said Wang Renxian, secretary of Xinya's Communist Party of China committee.