Interview / [Key Figure in China]

Over 10 years as General Manager (President) of a Chinese subsidiary. The only worry is having no hobbies!?

— How did you join Okudaya Giken?
Born in Liaoning Province, China, and raised in Sichuan Province, I came to Japan as an international student in 1992. From my homestay in Shiga Prefecture, I attended a Japanese language school in Kyoto, and entered a university in Kyoto in 1994. I obtained a master’s degree in Electronics & Computer Science. As a student, I needed to work part-time jobs to earn money, so I gained various experiences such as newspaper delivery, working in restaurants, moving companies, and interpreting for manufacturing companies.

After graduation, I worked as an engineer for an electronics company in Japan for 7 years, involved in developing firmware for color multifunction printers’ control systems. This period laid the foundation for my understanding of manufacturing and R concepts through interactions with Japanese and Taiwanese engineers.

However, I increasingly wanted to return to China. At that time, I met President Okuda, who asked me to help with Changzhou OPK, a hydraulic material handling equipment manufacturer established in Changzhou, a city in southern Jiangsu Province, China. I returned to China and changed jobs in 2008. It was also a time when I wanted to take on new challenges. I started working as the General Affairs Manager, became Vice General Manager in 2010, and have been serving as General Manager (President) since 2014.

— Please tell us about your personal side, such as your hobbies.
My boss has told me to “find a hobby”, but… I haven’t really found one yet. Although I haven’t been able to do it recently, I like physical activities such as swimming, marathon running, and mountain climbing.

I also often read books on politics, economics, and history. I’ve read works by Yukio Noguchi, a well-known Japanese economist in China. As for anime, I like “Astro Boy” and Teacher Yamada from “Rantarō the Ninja Boy”.

— What’s your favorite food?
Above all, my mother’s home cooking! For Japanese food, it’s definitely karaage (fried chicken).

— What car do you drive?
The first car I bought in Japan was a Nissan “Primera” that I purchased for 200,000 yen in 2003. It was rare in China at that time, so I could boast about it. Now I drive a brown Nissan “Sylphy”.

— What’s your recommended spot in China?
The “White Horse Temple” in Luoyang City, Henan Province. It’s the birthplace of the first Buddhist temple built after Buddhism was introduced to China.

— Who do you admire?
Zhou Enlai and Kakuei Tanaka. I deeply respect both of them. It’s because of Kakuei Tanaka’s normalization of Japan-China relations that we have our current relationship.

From struggling with differences between Japan and China to learning from scratch and becoming General Manager (President).

— What kind of place is Changzhou?
Changzhou is in Jiangsu Province, with good access to nearby tourist spots like Suzhou and Wuxi.
There’s a local ramen called “Jinsi Noodles”. It has thin noodles with a light, gentle-tasting soup.
This could be considered one of Changzhou’s specialties.

Japanese companies started entering Changzhou around 2001, with the peak being around 2006-2010.

When “Changzhou OPK Material Handling Equipment Co., Ltd.” was established in 2006, I heard there weren’t many buildings around. In less than 20 years, the economic scale has expanded about 6.7 times, and it continues to grow as “China’s new energy city”, focusing on solar power generation and electric vehicle industries as its core new energy industries.

I joined the company in 2008, and the establishment of Changzhou OPK was most challenging for the then General Manager Sakamoto, Vice General Manager Okuda (current President of OPK), and staff member Su (current Vice General Manager of Changzhou OPK). Also, technicians from OPK in Japan came to the local site and patiently provided guidance.

They instilled “manufacturing know-how and quality control DNA” in young Chinese people who started with zero manufacturing experience. Those young staff members have now become core personnel, adapting the management methods learned from their seniors at OPK in Japan to the Chinese market, contributing to establishing the OPK brand in the Chinese market.

We will continue to value “quality first and customer supremacy”, aiming to be a resilient company that remains unshaken by changes in the external environment, and I myself will strive towards this goal.

— Can you share any episodes from when you first joined the company?

After returning to China, I experienced language barriers and culture shock. As mentioned earlier, I had studied in Japan, worked there, and formed my basic social and work concepts in Japan.

One actual episode is that I had never seen a Chinese receipt until I returned to China.

Chinese receipts are unique and require specific knowledge. However, people around me assumed it was natural to know this, so they would say, “You don’t even know that?” That was particularly challenging (laughs).

Even though we were all Chinese, we had learned different things, so we started from a point where we couldn’t understand each other.

Next time, General Manager Li Special Interview Vol.2
■ About future developments and visions
Future visions and expectations for Okudaya Giken’s future, etc.

Interview date: April 2025
Interview cooperation:
Changzhou OPK Material Handling Equipment Co., Ltd. / Changzhou OPK / OPK CHANGZHOU CO. LTD.
General Manager/GM (General Manager)
LI WEI / LI WEI