Wang Mu Liang(Thailand)
Wang Mu Liang is a second-generation Chinese, whose ancestral roots can be traced
back to the Cheng Hai county of Canton province. His father moved to
Thailand half a century ago looking for a livelihood to support a family of ten,
but ended up as a coolie because he did not receive much education.
Wang ranked fourth in the family, and grew up in abject poverty, not able
to attend school because his parents could not afford the school fees.
Everyday, he could only watch with envy the neighbours’ children trotting
merrily off to school.
However, Wang was determined to study, and indeed, he was able to do so
through self-support. At the age of 12, he worked as a helper for a nearby
pork seller. His daily routine working saw him starting work as early as 5 am
in the morning, working through an 8-hour stretch before rushing off to a
Thai school in the afternoon. His principal was touched by his eagerness to
learn and waived his school fees; in this way, Wang completed two years
of studies in the Thai language.
When Wang reached his mid-teens, he took a job at a crockery shop, while
attending night classes to continue his secondary studies in Thai. He would
apply for leave of absence each time he had to take an exam, but instead of
granting leave, his boss jeered at him, asking him if he was more interested
in becoming an imperial scholar than to work. However, Wang did not waver
in the face of adversity; he persisted in taking the exam, and lost his job.
At 16, Wang became an apprentice with a carpenter, and pursued his High
School studies at night. These days proved to be extremely trying times,
for Wang was expected to work from 6 am to 6 pm everyday, leaving him
barely enough time to rush to classes at night.
But Wang was quite a blessed man. During such desperate times, a friend
recommended him to be a school bus attendant for a secondary school,
with free lodging as well as the opportunity to observe classes. Three years
later, Wang successfully passed his exams, and his results as an “observer”
even surpassed those of the full-time students! Having passed the Chinese
Teachers Exam administered by the Thai Education Ministry, Wang was
immediately offered a post as a Chinese teacher at a public school.
In the early sixties, Wang decided to move into industry, and started a family
cottage enterprise making metal clothes hangers. In his delivery trips, he
noticed that the budding plastics industry had great potential. Many plastic
product designs were hitting the markets, and were well-accepted by
consumers. This prompted him to found the联华公司,with a single
hand-operated plastics machine as initial investment. In the early days of
联华公司, Wang was both boss and worker, and through sheer blood and toil,
his profits escalated. He eventually roped in his siblings and relatives into the
business, and two years later, he was able to acquire four machines, and
systematically added semi-automatic plastic makers to the production line.
In 1967, Wang bought land in 北榄府新城县,and built a larger production plant
on this land, registering the company as ”联华塑胶两合公司”. He placed heavy
emphasis on product quality, and continuously strived to make improvements
in design. This focus on innovative design, bright colours and competitive
pricing enabled him to make inroads into many regional markets, and his timely
deliveries and unfaultable credibility has brought him accolades from many
satisfied customers.
Being thoroughly acquainted with the hardships of establishing one’s own
enterprise, Wang firmly believed in fully immersing himself in the business, and
set long-term goals and vision in addition to shorter-term targets. To him,
success which could withstand the test of time was of utmost importance,
and that involved steadfastness and adherence to set goals and principles.
Beyond that, he was always on the lookout for new business opportunities
to realize his dream of building a lasting business empire.
In Wang’s business almanac, “trust” is a winning strategy. He had always
despised the use of underhanded means to get to the top, and had resolutely
resisted employing such tactics to amass his riches. However, Wang was fast
in spotting business opportunities. In the eighties, he saw the potential in
taking “联华” overseas, and did so with a big bang. His move proved to be
a huge success, with demand far outstripping supply despite additional
factories and increased product capacity. In no time, “联华” became a
market leader and trendsetter in the Thai plastics industry.
In 1986, as Thailand was booming and contending to be the fifth
“Little Dragon” in Asia, Wang injected 100 million baht and bought prime land
in Bangkok to further expand his production facility, registering the new plant
as “联华塑胶厂有限公司”.
By this time, “联华”has become a conglomerate with strong financial and
technological backing, formed by 11 separate technical companies,
strengthened by foreign capital injections and new technologies from abroad.
Its plastic product range covered some 200 over implements for the home,
office and factory, with strong sales recorded in more than 70 provinces all
over Thailand. In addition, it has diversified its production into accessories
for electronic and electrical goods, with exports reaching more than 70
countries and cities in Europe, North America, the Middle-East and beyond.
Although Wang’s empire has now reached epic proportions, he is still
relentless trying to breach new frontiers. He is now actively exploring the
Chinese market, and was invited by the Chinese authorities to be a member
and secretary of the “Thai-Chinese Young Enterprise Study Mission to China”
delegation.
Wang’s latest projects include setting up a 200-bed hospital and building
premium condominiums, fully in line with his motto of diversification.
Source:
http://www.wiseman.com.cn/gcxmavin/enterpriser/enterprisers/02.htm
| Compiled and translated from Chinese by Willie Hsu |