On 6 February, Huafeng Shipbuilding’s 2023 Annual Gala—centred on the theme “Passing on Craftsmanship, Driving Innovation, Forging the Future”—opened in grand style. More than 1,000 employees and subcontractor representatives from both yards gathered for the company’s largest-ever year-end celebration.
Present were Chairman & General Manager Wu Zhixiang, Administrative Vice-President Le Hanjiang, Baiquan Yard Production Vice-President Shu Kaifeng, Daishan Yard Production Vice-President Zhou Bingke, Commercial Vice-President Chen Wenzhong, together with shareholders Le Yulong and Liu Feijie.
Assistant General Manager He Yuejun read out the commendation list. Across the two yards, 33 Outstanding Employees, 6 “Most Beautiful Huafeng People”, 2 Advanced Party Members, 8 Advanced Teams, 12 Excellent Subcontracting Squads and 6 Safety-Leading Squads were honoured. Leaders and shareholders presented the awards. Shen Cheng of Baiquan Production Department and Cao Danhua of Daishan Asset Department, both “Most Beautiful Huafeng People” laureates, spoke on behalf of the winners.
Chairman Wu also handed lucky-red-packets to 18 new university interns. “Talent is the bedrock of steady growth,” he said. “We must pass on experience through mentoring, cherish and retain good people, and give every graduate a bright future at Huafeng.”
Each vice-president delivered an annual report to the assembly, giving an objective, detailed review of the areas under his charge.
Chairman Wu Zhixiang then presented the company’s year-end summary. “Thanks to the trust of our owners and the hard work of every one of us,” he said, “2023 set a new production-value record of RMB 1.8 billion. We repaired 372 vessels at an average value exceeding RMB 5 million per ship, once again hitting our annual target. The repair mix was further optimised, moving toward serial and batch production. Our first methanol-dual-fuel main-engine conversion and the docking of a fully-refrigerated LPG carrier gave us the experience and foundation we need to enter the high-value-added segment. We keep shortening docking cycles and rewriting the ‘Huafeng-speed’ record, winning recognition through diligence, persistence, professionalism and efficiency.”
He also pointed out shortcomings in cost control, the overall quality of personnel, market structure, and safety management. He stressed that in 2024 the company must make breakthroughs in:
- Raising capacity and upgrading product mix
- Renewing equipment
- Advancing digitalization
- Building teams
- Cutting costs
The banquet opened with Chairman Wu’s warm toast. The company had prepared more than 180 rich prizes—Huawei phones, laptops, home appliances, etc.—and every leader topped up the prize pool with hefty red-envelope cash, firing up the crowd during the grab-and-snatch session. On stage, song-and-dance, acrobatics, magic, comic skits and cross-dressing acts delivered a dazzling audio-visual feast for all.