A Chinese entrepreneur has shared her story of building a world-leading cellphone accessory enterprise from scratch, expressing the confidence that Chinese manufacturers have the resilience to forge ahead despite external impacts.
At a bustling storefront in Guangzhou, provincial capital of south China's Guangdong Province, Li Hongmei switches effortlessly between English and Arabic while demonstrating a hair-thin screen protector to buyers from Africa and South America.
The unassuming 0.1-mm glass film embodies China's industrial rise and defiance against external headwinds.
Li, chairwoman of Hunan Mingyi Lake Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. -- commonly known as Milake -- said that her factory based in central China's Hunan Province produces 600 million pieces of phone screen protectors each year, with various functions available including anti-glare, peep-proof protection and glasses-free 3D. Once an unknown workshop, Li's company now has won the title of "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative Little Giant" and commands 30 percent of the global screen protector market. Her products -- ranging from anti-glare to 3D naked-eye varieties -- supply major Chinese smartphone brands including Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO and VIVO.
When Li entered the sector two decades ago, China lacked materials, equipment, and expertise.
"At that time (20 years ago), our entire industrial chain was just like a blank tablet. We had no equipment, no raw materials, no glass, nothing at all. What was my determination at that time? The rise of smartphones meant that someone had to make mobile phone accessories," Li said.
Her team then started the painstaking development process from scratch. Today, each protector undergoes 21 precise manufacturing processes involving specialized supply chains across at least 21 sectors.
"There is no such thing as being controlled by others because we have the say. For example, for the glass film, we say we want it to be 0.4 (millimeters) thick, 0.33, 0.2, or 0.1. There is nothing the Chinese cannot do, but only things you're unable to imagine," she said.
The 137th Canton Fair, concluding Monday with 25.44 billion U.S. dollar intended export deals, showcased the resilience of Chinese economy and pumped up confidence of exporters despite U.S. tariff pressures.
Li said she had felt anxious about the U.S. tariff hike putting too many people's jobs at stake, with over 500 partners at the upstream and downstream of phone screen protector manufacturing and about 100 million pieces of sales in the United States.
But the just-concluded bustling Canton Fair really brought her back to feet, as she achieved 12.65 million yuan (1.75 million U.S. dollars) in on-site transactions from May 1 to 5, with more new orders from Central Asian countries on the way.
"I was very anxious some time ago, but the huge crowds present at this Canton Fair gave us confidence. One is the guidance from the government, and the other is our confidence (amid crisis). Because as a manufacturing power with the spirit of craftsmanship, China cannot be replaced by any other country. You still need to cultivate your inner power and exchange time for space. The ultimate backbone is our own innovation ability," she said.
Entrepreneur shares story showcasing Chinese manufacturers' confidence, resilience
