[Xu Shang People's Chronicle] His "battlefield" has always been at the "choke point" - the industrial dream of serving the country of Chen Wei

"Be steady, and keep going steady. We must ensure the accuracy of the piling depth and speed. There must be no deviation in grouting pressure, flow rate, inclination, or any other aspect!"

On July 18th, at the construction site of the first-line embankment of Dongting Lake in Tuanzhouyu, Huarong County, Yueyang City, Hunan Province, Chen Wei, chairman of Xuzhou Jing'an Heavy Industry Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., rolled up his sleeves and fixed his gaze on the equipment in front of him. He was filled with relief as he watched the key embankment reinforcement project of Dongting Lake using new technologies and construction methods to build a long protective wall for the embankment. The large blue and white machine beside his feet - Jing'an Heavy Industry's latest TRD chain cutter wall-forming machine - was "walking sideways" to create an underground "steel wall" 40 meters deep and 55 centimeters thick, firmly keeping floodwaters outside the embankment.

Who would have thought that over 20 years ago, this "small-town swot" who emerged from Fengxin, Jiangxi, was still a "Mr. Chen" working a standard nine-to-five schedule in a research institute. Over the past 20 years, Chen Weirui has developed and manufactured star products such as concrete machinery, rotary drilling rigs, and full-rotary drilling rigs, continuously delving into the field of specialization, refinement, uniqueness, and novelty. He strives to win the market, seize the initiative, and achieve greater leapfrog development through more pioneering and exclusive technologies.

A gives up the "iron rice bowl" and embarks on the thorny path of entrepreneurship

After graduating from Xi'an University of Technology in 1988, Chen Wei was assigned to work at the Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, a comprehensive research institution affiliated with the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Machinery. At the end of 1992, the Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering took the lead in carrying out a reform of the scientific research system in the province, with the focus of scientific research shifting to the development of new products. Chen Wei thus devoted himself to the research and development of new engineering machinery products. Later, he was selected by his unit to pursue a master's degree in Mechanical Design and Theory at Jilin University of Technology.

The tide of reform and opening up kept surging, giving birth to Chen Wei's entrepreneurial dreams and passion. He hoped to leverage his professional skills and R&D experience to develop new construction machinery products and win honor for the country. In 2000, when most people were still pursuing "stability", Chen Wei, an engineer at the Jiangsu Provincial Electromechanical Research Institute, made a bold decision - to resign and start his own business. He always had a strong will in his heart: "Why can't we make our own equipment when foreign equipment monopolizes the high-end market?"

In 2000, Chen Wei boldly ventured into the business world. Due to limited startup funds, he had no choice but to collaborate with other enterprises. Chen Wei recalled that in 2002, he led his team to independently develop four series of new concrete machinery products: concrete delivery pumps, concrete delivery trucks, concrete mixing plants, and concrete pump trucks. These products, with their high-standard configurations, leading technological levels, and price points that fit the national situation, were sold to more than 20 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions across the country. At that time, they were considered a new force in the concrete machinery field, and their concrete delivery pump had a working height even 10 meters higher than similar products from competing companies.

In 2004, when the company underwent a transformation to develop rotary drilling rigs, Chen Wei led his team to develop a series of deep foundation construction machinery products - multi-functional fully hydraulic crawler rotary drilling rigs. The entire machine was equipped with German technology and components from international manufacturers. At that time, in the drilling rig industry, it was the first enterprise to provide services ranging from machine purchase to construction management systems. It was also the first to launch high-altitude rotary drilling rigs and successfully apply for testing and certification by the China National Construction Machinery Quality Inspection Center.

Driven by the dream of "serving the country through industry", Chen Wei's initial entrepreneurial journey was not smooth: when the annual output value of concrete machinery reached 30 million yuan, he voluntarily withdrew due to differences in philosophy; when the rotary drilling rig business was thriving, it came to a sudden halt due to the entry of large state-owned enterprises and the difficulties faced by small private enterprises in financial leasing. During the most difficult times, he couldn't even pay his team's salaries, but he gritted his teeth and told them, "Technology is our root. As long as the root is there, there will come a day when it sprouts!"

B breaks foreign monopoly with "Made in China"

In 2010, Chen Wei discovered a more "bottleneck" field - the full-rotary drilling rig. This equipment is the "core equipment" for super projects such as subways and cross-sea bridges, but at that time, only Japan could produce it globally. The working principle of this drilling rig is quite different from other drilling rigs, and it has superior performance in complex geological conditions and the construction of pile foundations with ultra-large diameters and depths. However, the price of one unit is over ten million yuan, which is prohibitive for domestic enterprises.

"If foreigners can do it, why can't we?" Unwilling to admit defeat, Chen Wei aimed at this direction and was determined to develop a fully rotary drilling rig that domestic enterprises could afford and use well, to meet the needs of the domestic market. He led several young people to work day and night in a crude factory building. Without drawings, they repeatedly studied and deduced the principles; lacking parts, they traveled all over the country to find alternative solutions. A year later, China's first self-developed fully rotary drilling rig was successfully rolled off the production line at Jing'an Heavy Industry.

The first battle faced skepticism. The Shanghai client demanded an on-site "examination": "Use your machine to pull out this old pile, and if it works, we'll pay!" When the equipment reached its limit, the dashboard numbers suddenly fluctuated, and the scene fell silent. Until a "click" sound - the pile broke with a sound, Chen Wei breathed a sigh of relief. This "battle" made Jing'an Heavy Industry famous overnight.

Afterwards, Chen Wei personally took charge, relying on the Shanghai market to vigorously expand the market and actively promote the transformation of research and development achievements. The fully rotary drilling rigs manufactured by Jing'an, with their high cost-effectiveness, have seen sales increase year after year.

Over the past decade, with the support of a professional R&D team, Jing'an Heavy Industry has established a scientific and efficient innovation mechanism, and has obtained nearly 50 patented technologies. Through continuous optimization and improvement, Chen Wei led Jing'an Heavy Industry to develop a series of large-scale full-rotary drilling rigs. Its products are not only widely used in domestic engineering projects but also exported to Japan, the United States, Southeast Asia, and other countries and regions, occupying an absolute leading position in the industry. Jing'an Heavy Industry has also built the largest full-rotary drilling rig R&D and production base in China.

CFrom "following" to "leading", innovation never stops

Chen Wei has never been content with anything. In the past two years, he led Jing'an Heavy Industry to successfully develop an air-lift reverse circulation drill, which has solved the "bottleneck" problem faced by foreign companies in offshore wind power piling in China. This product has filled a domestic gap.

In 2022, amidst the fluctuating and rising global oil prices, many long-term, stable customers continuously conveyed to Chairman Chen Wei the cost pressures associated with mechanical operations. This made Chen Wei acutely aware of the market advantages of transitioning from diesel to electricity.

"We not only need to meet the needs of our customers, but also have to find ways to save their usage costs, so as to maintain our core competitiveness." Recalling the scene when the company decided to pursue a green transformation, Chen Wei was filled with emotion.

As the first "crab eater" in the field of special pile driving machinery, Chen Wei led the R&D team of Jing'an Heavy Industry to focus on the newly emerging new energy automobile industry, without direct experience from previous power transformation to draw on.

Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou... Chen Wei led the R&D team to visit and learn from new energy vehicle enterprises time and again, gaining firsthand insights into the power structure and design philosophy of new energy vehicles, and seeking out areas for reference.

He led his team to continuously make breakthroughs, pioneering the dual-drive model of "new energy battery + grid power supply", which reduced energy consumption by 60%. Even the environmentally demanding construction sites in Hong Kong were highly praiseful of it. The JRD300 air-lift reverse circulation drill tackled the challenge of ultra-deep piles, making outstanding contributions to the construction of Macao's fourth cross-sea bridge.

In 2023, the continuously optimized and improved "full casing and full rotary drilling rig equipment" not only won the Silver Award of the 24th China Patent Award, completely replacing imports, but also established a base in Hong Kong for overseas sales, exporting in large quantities and bringing the "Chinese standard" to the world.

Jing'an Heavy Industry's TRD7095 chain cutter wall-forming machine is the first major equipment of its kind in Jiangsu Province in 2024. Why was this product initiated for research and development in the first place? Chen Wei told reporters that in 2021, due to the poor supply of some supporting components and insufficient production tasks, everyone discussed what new product to develop as the company's new economic growth point in the future.

After multiple rounds of brainstorming, everyone reached a consensus: with the full range of rotary drilling rig models already available, the competition in the urban construction market is expected to become increasingly fierce. Consideration could be given to transitioning into the water conservancy industry. Acting decisively, Jing'an Heavy Industry ultimately decided to develop the chain cutter wall-forming machine, which is the most widely used in water conservancy projects and can construct walls up to a depth of 45 meters.

After several years of field testing, the drive mechanism of the chain cutter wall-forming machine has undergone continuous upgrades. In 2023, it was upgraded from the first-generation diesel engine driving a hydraulic pump to a common motor driving a hydraulic pump. In 2024, it was further upgraded to a permanent magnet synchronous motor drive. The motor has become increasingly smaller in size while its power has become stronger.

D"The mission of a technician is to win honor for the country."

Starting from leasing a 1900-square-meter factory building, to expanding the smart factory three times; from being looked down upon by foreign giants, to making "Jing'an-made" products sell well in 76 countries and regions, Chen Wei's entrepreneurial journey has proven his belief: "There is no shortcut to innovation; it's about gritting your teeth and persisting until the end."

In 2023, standing on the podium of the China Patent Award, he said with emotion, "Back then, Japanese experts said we wouldn't be able to build a full-rotary drill for 10 years. Now, our equipment is more energy-efficient and cost-effective than theirs!" Nowadays, his greatest wish is to cultivate more young people: "The torch of serving the country through technology should be passed down from generation to generation."

Nowadays, the patent certificates of Jing'an Heavy Industry can cover an entire wall:

Full-rotary drilling rig: We have driven down the price of Japanese products by 30% and even exported them back to Tokyo construction sites;

Air-lift reverse circulation drill: When driving a 200-meter deep pile for the Macau Bridge, foreign friends eagerly inquired, "Made in China?";

TRD chain cutter wall-forming machine: "Walking horizontally" on the Dongting Lake embankment, CCTV live broadcasts and praises, "This is the infrastructure madness!"

As of now, Jing'an Heavy Industry has obtained over 80 patents, becoming a national-level "little giant" enterprise specializing in precision, fine, unique, and innovative products. Its products have been applied to key national projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Dongting Lake, and Tianjin Erwangzhuang Reservoir. However, Chen Wei still spends every day in the workshop, and recently he is tackling the "extended-range new energy power station": "We want to enable equipment to operate with zero emissions even on construction sites without electricity!"

In Chen Wei's office, there hangs a scroll with the words "Innovating through understanding the past". This 58-year-old "tech guy" has spent 25 years interpreting what "the spirit of craftsmanship" means: not working behind closed doors, but writing papers on the construction site; not chasing trends, but sticking to one field and achieving excellence. Perhaps, this is the secret behind the rise of Chinese manufacturing.

●Xu Shang's Archives

      ◎Name: Chen Wei

      ◎ Date of birth: December 1969

      ◎ Corporate Vision: To become a leading enterprise in the research, development, and manufacturing of specialized pile driving machinery in China

      ◎ Business philosophy: Innovation never stops, chasing dreams never rests

      ◎ Major Achievements of the Enterprise: Xuzhou Jing'an Heavy Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is currently the largest and most technologically advanced manufacturer of full-rotary drilling rigs in China. The company has successively obtained honorary titles such as National High-tech Enterprise and National-level Specialized, Fine, Unique, and Innovative "Little Giant" Enterprise. Its leading product, the JRD300 air-lift reverse circulation drilling rig, was recognized as the first major equipment in Jiangsu Province in 2021; the TRD7095 chain cutter wall-forming machine was recognized as the first major equipment in Jiangsu Province in 2024. The company's research and development of a full casing full-rotary drilling rig equipment won the Silver Award of the 24th China Patent Award.

●Short review of the character

      Using "One Pile" to Support the Backbone of Made-in-China

Wang Zhengxi

At the Dongting Lake embankment site, a blue and white "steel giant" is "walking sideways" to create a 40-meter-deep underground Great Wall. Its creator is 56-year-old "techno-enthusiast" Chen Wei. From being "Engineer Chen" at the research institute to being the "wall-breaker" at Jing'an Heavy Industry, he has spent 25 years chipping away at the words "foreign monopoly" to forge a "Chinese standard".

Chen Wei's battlefield has always been at the "choke points". When the full-rotary drilling rig was monopolized by Japan and domestic enterprises were driven away by the sky-high price of tens of millions, he drilled through the drawings, ran around the workshop, and managed to make China's first self-developed equipment successfully pull out the pile at a construction site in Shanghai, becoming famous in one battle. When offshore wind power was choked by foreign technology, he led a team to overcome the airlift reverse circulation drilling rig and directly drove the 200-meter deep pile into the Macau Bridge. Some people asked him why he always chose the most difficult ones. He smiled and replied, "The mission of a technician is to win honor for the country."

What is even more commendable is that Chen Wei's "breaking through" goes beyond mere substitution. When diesel costs pushed customers away, he dared to be the first "crab eater" in the industry, applying the battery logic of new energy vehicles to heavy machinery and pioneering the "dual drive" system, which reduced energy consumption by 60%. When the urban construction market became overly competitive, he led his team to shift focus to water conservancy. The power source of TRD chain cutter wall-forming machines was upgraded from diesel engines to permanent magnet motors, undergoing three iterations in three years, earning CCTV's praise as a "madman of infrastructure".

Others chase the trend, but he creates it. Today, Jing'an's patent wall is covered with more than 80 certificates, and his products are sold back to Tokyo construction sites. Yet, he still spends every day in the workshop tackling the "extended-range zero-emission" technology. When asked when he plans to retire, he points to the words on the wall - "Innovation for a bright future": "As long as the construction sites need piling, I have to make the next pile stronger than this one."

What China's manufacturing industry lacks is not smart people, but "dumb people" who are willing to spend 25 years to achieve excellence in a small matter. Chen Wei has proven with a single pile that when a "technology enthusiast" has the soul of serving the country through industry, they can turn the words "impossible" into China's confidence, bit by bit.

Information source: "Xuzhou Daily", July 24, 2025, Page 05: Focus