Female label industry leaders in China

However, there are plenty of highly skilled women working in China’s label manufacturing industry, and their number is growing. They can be found working in trade associations, as senior managers, or as front-line production workers producing exquisite labels. They are making their own contribution to promoting the development of the label industry and showing the way forward for women in what has historically been an unwelcoming environment.

The US Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) has recently launched a Women in Flexo initiative. In the UK, the Women in Packaging group was founded in 2014. There is no Chinese equivalent to these initiatives, but women’s contribution to the label industry in China is growing fast and should be equally recognized. 

In this article, L&L talks to five leading female professionals in the label industry in China.

Jean Li, executive vice president of the China Label Sub-Association, PEIAC 
Jean Li is now in charge of the Label Printing Sub-Association of PEIAC, which represents the wider Chinese printing industry. It has more than 280 members including more than 100 converters. 

When asked why she entered label industry, she says: ‘I was assigned to the label branch by PEIAC on the recommendation of Professor Tan Junqiao, the honorary chairman of the China Label Sub-Association at that time. Although I had been working in the printing industry for years, I knew very little about labels. At the beginning, I felt I had a long way to go and a lot to learn, but I told myself I couldn’t let the association members down.’

Leading PEIAC’s Label Sub-Association is not just a question of serving the membership, says Li, but of providing a wider link with government and society. This is particularly key in the area of sustainability. Li and her team communicate with the relevant government authorities and guide label companies in adopting environmentally friendly materials and production methods. ‘For example, we recommend label converters to use printing inks with a solvent content of less than 5 percent, or to use water-based ink.’

In the less than four years since being elected, Li says the association has made remarkable progress, which she attributes to Professor Tan’s guidance. These include:

• Hosting the Global Label Association (L9) and China Label Forum in Beijing at the same time. ‘This is the first time China had hosted such a global label industrial event, which attracted global speakers and audience who could communicate face to face. It also showcased the current stage of development of the Chinese label industry and helped accelerate the pace of internationalization,’ says Li. 
• Concluding a strategic agreement with the Tarsus Group about cooperation on Labelexpo Asia. ‘The Labelexpo series are biggest and most professional events in the label printing industry globally,’ says Li. ‘This collaboration will bring wider viewpoints, new techniques and more international communication and cooperation opportunities for China’s label industry. This will help drive the industry to be more compatible with international practice and assist Chinese enterprises to understand and contribute to innovation trends in the global label industry.
• Professor Tan Junqiao winning the R Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award, which represents the highest honor the global label industry can bestow. ‘Professor Tan is the first Chinese winner of this prestigious award and this is also an affirmation of his contributions to China label industry as well as an acceptance by the international community of the fast growth of China’s label industry,’ notes Li. 
• Hosting the Industrial Forum of Label Printing (IFLP) in Shanghai in December 2017, bringing together domestic and foreign enterprises and experts to address label converters on the latest trends in China’s industrial development.
• Organizing converters to enter the World Label Awards (WLA). To date three domestic enterprises have won the ‘Best of the Best’ awards, along with 14 class winners and eight honorary mentions.

One of Jean Li’s most important roles is traveling extensively around China to help understand the views and requirements of member enterprises. ‘We also organize experts to help converters solve their problems.’ At the time of our interview, Jean and her team just returned from Mexico. Without any time to rest, she turned to domestic travel plans once again. That’s what she’s doing every day.

‘This industry, especially in production, is dominated by males, but there is no need for this. With the introduction of automation, female workers will grow in number,’ affirms Li. ‘The ancient philosopher Xunzi used to say, “You will only reach the end of a long journey if you take the first step.” As a female practitioner in a manufacturing industry, I believe we will be rewarded fairly as long as we put sincere effort into our work.’

Yang Xuanying, vice general manager of Dayang Label
Yang Xuanying graduated as a computer major in 1990 and after working in a government enterprise and then as IT manager in a supermarket chain, she decided to start her own business, Xi’an Dayang Label Production (now Shanxi Dayang Label Printing). 

‘I made the journey from a secure job in a national enterprise to a private company, then to be a boss, through my own personal drive and because I caught the wave of social and market developments. I am an open, frank and restlessly questioning person, and I will carry out my plans and stick to my target once I have made my decision, on whatever subject.’

While working in the supermarket, Xuanying realized that labels were potentially an extremely profitable market segment. ‘I travelled round southern China to carry out a survey and decided firmly to start my own label business after I returned.’

At that time, the future of China’s label market looked bright, but this did not necessarily make for a smooth start. ‘When I was exploring the market, my approaches were continually rejected and I was subjected to repeated questioning. The best memory for me was winning the Renrenle Supermarket order. That day, I stood and waited a whole morning in their purchasing department before I had the chance to talk with their manager in charge of sourcing. After those efforts, half of Renrenle’s orders were given to us.’

The lesson learned by Li was: ‘Try your best, and you will never have cause for regret. We built loyalty by providing the best possible product portfolio and service for our customers, then these loyal customers recommended new customers, which in turn helped us build a bigger group of loyal clients.’

In 2013, Dayang Label moved to a new factory and by the end of 2018, total production exceeded 20 million RMB ($2.8m USD). ‘We are not a big company, but we grow steadily and soundly. All these achievements cannot be separated from the cooperation of my husband Jiang Leibo.’ 

Jiang Leibo controls the strategic direction of the company while his wife is mainly responsible for market exploration, seeking new customers and partners. ‘This job division happens to match the Chinese saying “Woman outside, man inside”, but it really gives full play to both our strengths and accelerates Dayang’s growth.’ 

Yang Xuanying is never satisfied by the company’s current status and seeks permanent revolution. ‘For example, in our production facility we consecutively purchased Lintec letterpress, Taiyo letterpress, Zhongtian semi-rotary offset press, Label Source letterpress and inkjet press. We now also use Luster and Daheng inspection equipment, Reborn high-speed flatbed die-cutter and Rhyguan rotary die-cutting machines. Through this constant upgrading of machinery, the automation level of our facility has become higher and higher.’

In that time, Dayang’s product offering has expanded from simple supermarket labels to more complex labels for pharma, food and household chemicals, and now RFID labels and e-tags. ‘This latter product category is becoming more popular, meeting a wide range of customers requirements.’ 

There has also been a move to film labels, which now comprise 40-50 percent of total business. ‘We adjust our product structure from time to time according to market demands and make sure every step is properly considered.’ 

Xuanying believes a comprehensive quality assurance system is the foundation of growth, as can be seen from the converter’s ISO: 9001 and ISO:14000 environmental accreditation. In 2015 a program was started to eliminate VOCs and approval has now been successfully obtained from China’s environment protection authority. 

Like other label printers last year, Dayang is suffering from the combined effects of an economic downturn and increased labor and raw material costs. ‘However, I’m confident that along with the completion of our new workshop and auxiliary facility, and adjustment of our business strategy we will break through our business target of 30 million RMB [$4.4m USD] in 2019.’ 

Dayang Label’s future strategy is to be more than ‘only’ a label manufacturer, but gradually become an integrated supplier incorporating design and labeling systems. ‘We will never stop raising our value by following market trends, and trying to be a leading PS label supplier in northwest China,’ concludes Xuanying.

Olive Liu, vice general manager of Pulisi 
Olive Liu has been engaged in marketing and management since she graduated with an MBA in 2002, joining inspection machinery manufacturer Guangzhou Pulisi in 2013. Starting as a translator, Liu is now responsible for brand promotion and operations and management at Pulisi.

‘In such a male-dominated industry, it’s actually easier for females to establish relationships with customers and peers,’ says Liu. ‘And as long as you pay more attention and work hard, you are can easily show your talents and find abundant opportunities for promotion and personal growth. 

‘As a working woman, I think the label industry should pay women more than men when we have more professional knowledge. For example I need to understand the whole industrial label chain. Though Pulisi’s products are mainly focused on visual inspection, the inspection effect actually relates to multiple factors including label materials, processing techniques and machinery. Therefore, as a marketer of label products, I need to be familiar with all this information. Compared to men, women are relatively weaker at learning and understanding these mechanical things, so I spend more time in strengthening my professional knowledge.

‘Another point is to keep studying. Customers from different nations and regions always have particular technical requirements, while various issues will arise during the actual use of the product. So I need to collect those comments, summarize and analyze them and turn them into pointers for my future work and progress.’

Liu’s foreign trading experience significantly boosts the company’s overseas business, which now accounts for 30 percent of total revenue, with products selling to Europe, America, India, Malaysia, South Korea. In 2018, business increased 40 percent, with overseas sales growing twice the rate of domestic business. 

‘Looking back, there have been many hard times, but those hardships have also been critical moments in my accumulation of experience and the growth of my career. From my personal experience, women can endure much more than men,’ says Liu. 

‘As a manager in the label industry, even small decisions will affect the growth of the whole company, which impacts men as well as women. Keep a keen eye on market trends, never lose heart or give up. Only by keeping up with innovation in all aspects, can a company develop.’

Along with the slowdown of global economic growth, Liu points out that China’s label industry is facing many pressures, including more severe environment protection policies and the rising cost of raw materials. ‘Various external factors are forcing the whole industry to change and find new ways forward. In my opinion, the crisis is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity. In the new year of 2019, my biggest wish is to meet our annual targets – which include my marketing tasks – to achieve a 30 percent growth increase over 2018, while further promoting our global brand.’

Monica Huang, TrojanJet Founder and general manager 
Monica Huang majored in finance and law and previously worked in management consultancy and for foreign-based manufacturing companies. ‘It’s a complete change from both my major and previous job experience being attached to the label industry, but it does make me realize the importance of printing technology for the transmission of human culture and heritage,’ she says.

Although in the label industry there are fewer women than men, women are not a ‘vulnerable group’ says Huang. ‘For me, females have become a central feature in this landscape. There are women on the production line, in the office, in technical positions and also management.’ 

Huang says the introduction of automation and artificial intelligence in the label manufacturing process means that jobs favoring men as a result of their greater strength will become fewer. Under these conditions women can fully bring into play their advantages in intelligence and emotional engagement. ‘There is one saying which says: “Work will be easier when a man and a woman work together.” I am very glad to see more and more women joining in the label manufacturing industry, bringing us a breath of fresh air.’

Huang says she is never satisfied with her current achievements. ‘I know winners always keep moving. One of the most important things to me in this industry is that TrojanJet overcomes the pressures of a business start-up and keeps innovating.’

Huang points to two key trends: increasing focus on Industry 4.0 and the ‘Made in China 2025’ initiative. ‘Artificial intelligence will usher in more rapid development – no-one can stay out of it. As an enterprise leader, I need to embrace AI technology and make sure it is integrated into our technical research and patent applications. This is both a corporate responsibility, part of my personal development and an aid for pushing forward the wider development of Chinese industry.’

Huang explains her personal development journey: ‘Life is never plain sailing, and everyone is bound to encounter obstacles – so is the enterprise. Leaders face different kinds of obstacles and pressures at each stage, especially at the beginning.

‘For TrojanJet, when we launched our first digital press there was a lack of both upstream and downstream support – especially the substrates, which were almost totally dependent on imports, resulting in very high costs for users. Their investment in a digital press was already significant. So what should we do? Give up, or invest more to solve those problems? We chose to forge ahead. In order to support our customers, we invested manpower and resources in developing coating technology for water-based inks, and this was a three-year effort. We also cooperated with leading material suppliers in the market and persuaded them to start localized manufacturing of inkjet adhesive materials to provide more diversified options for material sourcing.’

2019 will be a year full of challenges and opportunities, says Huang. ‘Challenge comes from various aspects including politics, economics and culture, which are full of uncertainty; but we need to discover certainties among these uncertainties. So, what are the constant things? Customers’ demand for higher cost performance labels will never change; human attention on sustainable development will not change; nor will the wider industry trend to be more automated and intelligent. You will find your future as long as you focus on these unchanged aspects.’

Zhang Qinghua, managing director of Label Dept, Shenzhen Bright
Zhang Qinghua has been working in sales management ever since she graduated as a marketing major in 2001. She joined Shenzhen Bright Ink & Coating at the end of 2007. Established in July 2004, the company specializes in water-based, UV/UV LED and anti-counterfeit flexo inks. In 2007 the company grew to be a certified high-tech enterprise in Shenzhen and expanded its operations to Shandong in May 2013 and Zhongshan in June 2018.

Qinghua summarizes her philosophy: ‘Choose the right stage to act on; follow your heart; act and assist each other as industry colleagues and friends; believe no obstacle can’t be overcome.’

Zhang says that in her early years in the label market, physical strength was a comparatively big challenge for women, but these issues have now nearly disappeared. ‘Actually whatever the industry – real estate, tourism or manufacturing – I don’t think gender is an issue any more in a female’s career development.’

Zhang says after 40 years of reform and opening up in China, there has been huge progress in economic development, science and technology as well as rapid development in social welfare, education and living standards. ‘The chances for both men and woman are now equal, and women have won respect. The only difference may lie in the family. Women usually pay more attention to the family and thus spend more time and effort there.’

The culture of each enterprise is an important factor. ‘I am thankful that I have chosen the right company,’ says Zhang. ‘Bright provides me with a great stage for individual development. Professional knowledge is the root whichever job you are in and in this regard, I never stop learning. I get plenty of practical experience during communication with different customers, which both enhances my customer service ability and provides good pointers for the future direction for the company’s product development.

‘In fact, individual development and enterprise development promote each other. My current achievements have been possible thanks to the stage provided by our company, as well as my years of hard work and effort. My colleagues are not only familiar with color matching, but also share an average 8-15 years of flexo industry experience. This matching of ‘technical R&D + technical service’ saw Bright growing up to 20 percent in the last three years.

‘I agree with the saying, “There is no perfect individual but only the perfect team”.

Years of working experience make me more and more aware that team member management comes before product management.’ 

Zhang points out that between 2009 and 2017, China’s label printing industry achieved a ‘leapfrog’ development, with gross output value increasing from 14 to 43.2 billion RMB. ‘However in recent years, the label industry has been threatened by a series of policy influences: de-capacity, structural adjustment, currency stabilization and strengthening of environment protection, as well as the rise of international trade protectionism and the Sino-US trade war, making for a bad macro environment. ‘Bright is not asking for a high growth rate, but a steady one. For example, we can make good use of the Belt and Road Initiative and the platform provided by the Labelexpo Global Series to explore more overseas markets such as Southeast Asia, West Asia or Africa, giving us more room to grow. I am looking forward to working with customers, partners and suppliers hand in hand to create a bright and green future. And a word to female friends in the label industry: just do your best and be happy.’

Conclusion 
There are many more women demonstrating the growing female influence in the Chinese label industry – such as Xi Hong, production and HR manager at Super Label, and Cao Ying, managing director of Xinxiang Dingfeng Paperwork, to name just two. 

The final word goes to Mr Liu Haifeng, general manager of Great Printing: ‘As one who has a long involvement with labels, this industry should pay more attention to women and make the industry more welcoming towards them.’