Good Products Also Call for Good Platform--the Story Behind Zhengzhou Zhongyu’s Foreign Trade Business

"Good wine also needs bush, that is, good products also call for good platform to publicize and promote."

Interviewee: Chen Changhao  

Position: General Manager  

Company: Zhengzhou Zhongyu Metallic Materials Co., Ltd. 

Site on iAbrasive: http://zhongyu.en.iabrasive.com/ 

Foreign trade, in the eyes of many entrepreneurs, is as attractive as a piece of “sweet pastry”. With the popularity of internet, increasing businessmen enroll themselves in the foreign trade business through some comprehensive B2B platforms like Alibaba. However, comprehensive foreign trade platforms prove to be kind of too extensive rather than specialized, then the marketing effect is barely satisfactory. A lot of abrasives manufacturers are annoyed that good products are left without anybody to care for. If you are happened to share the same problem, this article may inspire you.

Good Products Also Call for Good Platform

Today, the leading role we are going to talk about is Zhengzhou Zhongyu Metallic Materials Co., Ltd., China’s largest supplier of fiberglass baking pads for flap discs. This company has just successfully concluded the first foreign deal on the occasion of no foreign trade salesman and no any export experience. How could that come true? When talking about this, the company’s manager Chen has too much to share.

He said jokingly: “good wine also needs bush, that is, good products also call for good platform to publicize and promote.” As for the first cooperation with a famous European enterprise, Chen gives the credit to a professional abrasives online trading platform--iAbrasive.com. Chen explains that their products sell well in China, and plans to extend the fiberglass backing pads and also the one-component epoxy resin glue they’ve manufactured to the overseas markets. However, Chen know little about English, not to mention the knowledge about foreign trade marketing. Therefore, the foreign trade plan has been delayed for quite a time.

By a chance, Chen get acquaintance with iAbrasive’s manager Lei. Knowing that iAbrasive is China’s first abrasives B2B trading platform, and provides the customized membership services specialized for companies without any foreign trade experience just like Zhongyu, Chen is inspired of the idea to develop foreign trade business through iAbrasive.com. 

According to Chen’s introduction, he’s joined in iAbrasive and become a Gold Member of the platform. Thus, he has enjoyed several benefits offered by the platform, such as establishing online shop, translating company profiles, uploading factory photos, posting products, writing company news, etc. Chen indicates that until now they have received several inquiries from Korea, Japan and India through iAbrasive.com. “Some buyers show great interests in the backing pads we produce, and we have sent them the samples.” Chen says to me proudly.

It is actually a family-owned enterprise, and Chen views product quality higher than profits. He tells me that he has enrolled in abrasives industry for more than 15 years. He loves what he is doing and is fond of studying techniques and manufacturing. If you have a chance to visit his factory, you’ll find all the manufacturing equipments and electric circuits are worked out by himself. 

If I was asked to describe Chen with two words, that would be “honest and optimistic”. During the whole interview, modest smile never faded upon his face. Chen holds the view that people should  keep striving and contribute the society as more as he can when young. He promises me that he’ll develop better products and contribute his own share to the development of the whole abrasives industry. Believe that the promise will be realized soon!