近日，香港中華廠商聯(lián)合會(huì)對(duì)力勁集團(tuán)創(chuàng)始人劉相尚先生進(jìn)行了專訪，并刊登在《企業(yè)雄才》上，以下是采訪全文：

力勁集團(tuán)創(chuàng)辦人劉相尚，40年來(lái)乘著「改革開放」的東風(fēng)， 把握每個(gè)國(guó)家發(fā)展機(jī)遇， 把力勁從一家小型機(jī)械廠，發(fā)展為全球最大的壓鑄機(jī)制造商。他深信，只有堅(jiān)守「專注技術(shù)， 以客為先」的精神，才能讓集團(tuán)于時(shí)代巨輪中砥礪前行。

Liu  Siong Song, founder of LK Group, has been riding on the easterly winds ofChina’s reform and opening-up for 40 years. He has seized every developmentopportunity in the nation,transforming LK Group from a small machine factoryinto the largest manufacturer of die-casting machines worldwide. It is hisbelief that only by adhering to the motto of “focusing on technology andputting customers first” can the Group move forward through changing times.

祖籍廣東的劉相尚生于印度尼西亞一個(gè)華僑家庭，年少時(shí)在父親經(jīng)營(yíng)的維修汽車廠工作，10多歲時(shí)已學(xué)會(huì)組裝整輛汽車， 早早就與機(jī)械設(shè)備結(jié)下不解之緣。然而， 劉相尚的成長(zhǎng)之路并不平坦，「小時(shí)候我在印度尼西亞讀書， 卻因當(dāng)?shù)厝A語(yǔ)學(xué)校被封鎖而要回流到內(nèi)地念書， 怎料回國(guó)后又遇上文化大革命， 更經(jīng)歷過上山下鄉(xiāng)運(yùn)動(dòng)， 那時(shí)候心想：難道上天注定我不能求學(xué)？」回想起年青時(shí)經(jīng)歷的種種波折， 劉相尚笑言要感謝命運(yùn)的安排， 好讓他在逆境中磨練出堅(jiān)毅刻苦的性格。

1972 年，劉相尚輾轉(zhuǎn)移居香港， 決心投身「老本行」。他一邊在機(jī)械廠內(nèi)打工，一邊到夜校念書進(jìn)修， 漸漸累積對(duì)機(jī)械制造及工廠運(yùn)作的知識(shí)。經(jīng)過多年辛苦的打拼， 劉相尚終在1979 年自立門戶，創(chuàng)立力勁品牌， 從事壓鑄設(shè)備生產(chǎn)。「當(dāng)時(shí)香港市場(chǎng)的壓鑄機(jī)大多由日本進(jìn)口， 價(jià)格昂貴， 投資回報(bào)周期長(zhǎng)， 反之力勁研制的熱室壓鑄機(jī)在價(jià)格上與進(jìn)口設(shè)備相差3 至5 倍以上， 加上質(zhì)量?jī)?yōu)良， 不久就在本地打響名堂。」

本地工業(yè)發(fā)展先鋒

80年代初， 香港鐘表業(yè)發(fā)展如日中天， 能夠成就這段光輝歲月， 力勁可謂功不可沒。「那時(shí)候制造表殼工序繁多，耗時(shí)較長(zhǎng)， 但我們的熱室壓鑄機(jī)只需幾秒便可生產(chǎn)一個(gè)表殼。可以說(shuō)， 香港鐘表業(yè)的出口量之所以能夠高踞世界第一， 與力勁成功沖破這項(xiàng)傳統(tǒng)技術(shù)限制有莫大關(guān)系。」劉相尚自豪地說(shuō)。

創(chuàng)新的技術(shù)配備不但使力勁逐步超越日本廠家， 甚至取得超過6、7成本地表殼機(jī)械設(shè)備的市場(chǎng)占有率。除表殼以外，力勁于80年代亦為本地廠商制造生產(chǎn)玩具及其他日用品的機(jī)器， 默默支持本港工業(yè)朝全球市場(chǎng)邁進(jìn)。

緊隨改革開放足跡

回顧力勁40年的奮斗史，劉相尚強(qiáng)調(diào)，力勁數(shù)十年來(lái)不僅見證國(guó)家改革開放的發(fā)展歷程，亦與內(nèi)地企業(yè)共同成長(zhǎng)。1991 年，劉相尚正式進(jìn)軍內(nèi)地，于深圳成立力勁機(jī)械（ 深圳） 有限公司， 早期以制造鑰匙、拉鏈頭等日用品機(jī)器為主，以配合內(nèi)地個(gè)體戶的需求。

「隨著90年代內(nèi)地的家電市場(chǎng)崛起， 我們開始發(fā)展生產(chǎn)家電的機(jī)器；到90年代中期至2000 年以后，內(nèi)地人民生活水平提升，交通需求急速增長(zhǎng)，我們便從輕工業(yè)走到重工業(yè)， 拓展摩托車及汽車生產(chǎn)機(jī)器業(yè)務(wù)；隨著近年國(guó)內(nèi)智能手機(jī)和網(wǎng)絡(luò)迅速發(fā)展， 以及市場(chǎng)對(duì)環(huán)保概念日益重視， 促使了5G通訊設(shè)備和電動(dòng)車時(shí)代的誕生， 力勁現(xiàn)時(shí)亦已加緊相關(guān)項(xiàng)目的研發(fā)工程。」

為配合內(nèi)地業(yè)務(wù)不斷擴(kuò)展， 力勁先后于上海、中山、寧波、遼寧阜新、江蘇昆山及臺(tái)灣設(shè)立生產(chǎn)基地，其生產(chǎn)的壓鑄、注塑及加工中心設(shè)備遠(yuǎn)銷至全球多個(gè)國(guó)家及地區(qū)，客戶中不乏國(guó)際知名品牌， 包括豐田汽車、通用汽車、富士康及美泰玩具等等。

力勁于2006 年在香港上市后，進(jìn)一步開拓國(guó)際業(yè)務(wù)， 2008年收購(gòu)了全球首屈一指的意大利壓鑄機(jī)制造商意德拉公司及其品牌「IDRA 」，為集團(tuán)進(jìn)軍歐洲市場(chǎng)打下重要基礎(chǔ)， 并造就其成為全球最大的壓鑄機(jī)制造商。

實(shí)踐產(chǎn)學(xué)研合作

近年， 傳統(tǒng)制造業(yè)面臨激烈的市場(chǎng)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)壓力， 如何善用創(chuàng)新技術(shù)以提升自身優(yōu)勢(shì)， 成為了廠商不得不思考的課題。作為行業(yè)先驅(qū)，劉相尚早于20 年前已開始透過產(chǎn)學(xué)研合作方式，帶領(lǐng)力勁走向高增值發(fā)展。

「2000 年，我們與北京清華大學(xué)共同創(chuàng)立清華–力勁壓鑄高新技術(shù)研究中心，研制出大噸位的鎂合金壓鑄機(jī)，填補(bǔ)了國(guó)內(nèi)市場(chǎng)的技術(shù)空白。」至2008年，力勁又與香港理工大學(xué)合作，成功推出全球首部上射式微型注塑機(jī)，產(chǎn)品更于「第35屆日內(nèi)瓦國(guó)際發(fā)明展」中勇奪金獎(jiǎng)。

問到可有「貼士」予以一眾有意利用產(chǎn)學(xué)研合作，實(shí)現(xiàn)轉(zhuǎn)型升級(jí)的廠商？劉相尚說(shuō)：「一個(gè)產(chǎn)學(xué)研合作計(jì)劃的成功， 往往取決于企業(yè)能否應(yīng)用到合適的研發(fā)技術(shù)，因此，廠商在與學(xué)界研究團(tuán)隊(duì)進(jìn)行技術(shù)配對(duì)時(shí)，應(yīng)委任對(duì)公司產(chǎn)品發(fā)展?jié)摿τ忻翡J觸覺的員工，就各項(xiàng)研發(fā)技術(shù)作出謹(jǐn)慎判斷， 方能較易找到可提升產(chǎn)品價(jià)值， 又能為集團(tuán)帶來(lái)較高投資回報(bào)的創(chuàng)新技術(shù)。」

著力技術(shù)提升

緊貼工業(yè)4.0的發(fā)展，力勁近年開始為不同制造業(yè)客戶提供全方位一站式的壓鑄、注塑和智能加工方案，同時(shí)不斷提升其機(jī)器配備的技術(shù)含量， 引進(jìn)智能化、數(shù)據(jù)化、信息化以及節(jié)能環(huán)保等功能， 為客戶提高生產(chǎn)效益， 鼓勵(lì)他們邁向智能制造發(fā)展。

環(huán)顧當(dāng)前壓鑄機(jī)的市場(chǎng)格局，劉相尚表示：「力勁的產(chǎn)品極具競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力， 已經(jīng)能與世界各國(guó)頂尖的壓鑄機(jī)生產(chǎn)商看齊。不過在注塑機(jī)方面，雖然目前內(nèi)地注塑設(shè)備在中端、大型機(jī)器設(shè)備市場(chǎng)上甚具優(yōu)勢(shì)， 惟在精密機(jī)器生產(chǎn)方面的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力， 則或較難與日本及德國(guó)等國(guó)媲美， 未來(lái)可繼續(xù)于高端市場(chǎng)力爭(zhēng)上游。」

2019年，力勁成功獲得美國(guó)著名電動(dòng)車品牌的垂青，為其生產(chǎn)大型壓鑄設(shè)備。劉相尚坦言：「有壓力！因?yàn)橄嚓P(guān)的產(chǎn)品為全球首創(chuàng)， 是現(xiàn)時(shí)最大型的壓鑄機(jī)， 生產(chǎn)過程相當(dāng)不容易。但是我們相信， 只要能夠成功突破這項(xiàng)技術(shù)， 將可為電動(dòng)車行業(yè)帶來(lái)一個(gè)嶄新的生產(chǎn)模式。」

去年，力勁勇奪「2019 年香港名牌選舉」的「香港卓越名牌」，并憑著其研發(fā)的D CC5000 大型智能壓鑄機(jī)， 獲頒「2019 香港工商業(yè)獎(jiǎng)︰ 設(shè)備及機(jī)械設(shè)計(jì)獎(jiǎng)」，得到業(yè)界一致肯定。「我們要讓客戶得到最大的利益， 因?yàn)榭蛻舻某晒Γ闶俏覀兊某晒Α！箘⑾嗌墟告傅莱隽诺钠髽I(yè)核心價(jià)值。

開拓醫(yī)療設(shè)備市場(chǎng)

在新型冠狀病毒疫情下，劉相尚坦言：「自2018 年中美貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)開打后，不少?gòu)S商紛紛持觀望態(tài)度， 國(guó)內(nèi)人民消費(fèi)意欲亦大減， 令汽車銷售量下降，本以為2020 年情況有望向好，卻又碰上讓人始料不及的新冠疫情，以致訂單數(shù)目持續(xù)減少。」

然而，這段困難的日子卻驅(qū)使劉相尚重新審視力勁的業(yè)務(wù)， 冀為集團(tuán)未來(lái)發(fā)展訂立新方向。「在疫情期間，醫(yī)用口罩的核心原材料– 熔噴布需求大增，我們最近便與香港城市大學(xué)合作生產(chǎn)熔噴布機(jī)器， 以可分解之塑料物料制成的熔噴布取代現(xiàn)有的熔噴不織布， 減少口罩棄置對(duì)環(huán)境造成的污染。」

「國(guó)內(nèi)人口正急速老化， 我們計(jì)劃于不久的將來(lái)在『粵港澳大灣區(qū)』內(nèi)拓展精密醫(yī)療儀器和復(fù)康產(chǎn)品生產(chǎn)設(shè)備市場(chǎng)， 如磁力共振機(jī)、測(cè)溫機(jī)和智能輪椅等等，開拓新的業(yè)務(wù)范疇， 并繼續(xù)緊貼國(guó)家的發(fā)展趨勢(shì)。」劉相尚說(shuō)。

訪問期間，劉相尚總是保持微笑，十分親切。「相比起出外旅游玩樂， 我更愛工作，因?yàn)閷?duì)我而言， 沒甚么比能鉆研一部機(jī)器，來(lái)得更有成就感。」或許就是這份對(duì)機(jī)械的熱愛， 令劉相尚在集團(tuán)踏入40周年之際，仍能帶領(lǐng)公司不斷突破求新，在業(yè)界盡展鋒芒。

Though hisancestral home is in Guangdong, Liu was born into an overseas Chinese family inIndonesia. When he was young, he worked in an automotive repair factory run by his father. By the time he was 10, he hadalready learned to assemble an entire car. His career has focused on mechanicalequipment since those early days. However, during his formative years, his lifepath was not smooth.
 
“When I was a child studying in Indonesia, I was forced to return tothe Mainland to continue my education due to blockades at the Chinese languageschool. I had unexpectedly encountered the Cultural Revolution afterreturning to China, and I even experienced the Down to the Countryside Movementand was forced to live in the countryside. At that time, I thought I wasdestined to stop education.”

As Liu recalled the ups and downs of his youth, he smiled.He expressed his thankfulness for the unexpected interventions of fate that hadcultivated his strength to perseverance in the face of adversity.
     
In 1972, Liu moved to Hong Kong and was determined to take up his “old business”. Whileworking in a machine factory, he also studied in night school to learn moreabout machine manufacturing and factory operations. After years of hard work,Liu started his own business with the brand name LK in 1979 and engaged in theproduction of die-casting equipment.
     
 “The majority of die-casting machines available in the Hong Kongmarket were imported from Japan at a high price，resultingin a longer return on investment period. In contrast, the selling price of LK’s hot chamberdie-casting machines was three to five times lower than that of the importedequipment，and together with good product quality, LKgained acclaim in the local market.”
       
Pioneer of the Local Manufacturing Industry
　　
In the early 1980s, the Hong Kong watchand clock industry was in its glory days, largely due to LK’s contributions.

“At that time, making watch casesinvolved numerous time-consuming processes. However, our hot chamber diecastingmachine could produce a watch case in just a few seconds. So, the reason forthe export volume of Hong Kong’s watch industry beingranked No.1 in the world is closely related to LK’sbreakthrough in technology.”
　　
Innovative technical equipment not onlyenabled LK to gradually surpass Japanese manufacturers but also allowed thecompany to achieve a market share of over 60% to 70% in machine equipment for local watch cases.In the 1980s, LK also manufactured machines for local manufacturers of toys andother daily necessities, which provided support for Hong Kong manufacturers to enter the globalmarket.
      
Following the Development of China’s Reform and Opening-up
　　
Looking back on LK’s 40-year history, Liu emphasized that the company has not onlywitnessed the developments of China’s reform andopening-up in the past decades, but also developed alongside other Chineseenterprises. In 1991, LK officially entered the Mainland market and establishedLK Machinery (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. In the early days, the company mainly focusedon manufacturing machines that produced daily necessities, such as keys andzippers, to meet the needs of individual businesses in the Mainland.
　　
“With the rise of the home appliancemarket in the Mainland in the 1990s, we began to develop machines for homeappliance production. By the mid-1990s and continuing through the 2000s,Chinese living standards had significantly improved, leading to an increase in trafficdemand. We gradually transformed our business from light to heavy industry byexpanding into machinery businesses for motorcycle and automobile production.”
　　
“Additionally, the rapid development ofsmartphones and networks and the increasing focus on environmental issues haveled to the birth of a new era, one involving 5G communication and electricvehicles. LK has also stepped up its R&D projects for related products”, Liu said.
　　
To cope with its business expansion inthe Mainland, LK set up production bases in Shanghai, Zhongshan,Ningbo, Fuxin(Liaoning), Kunshan (Jiangsu) and Taiwan.The die-casting and injection mouldingequipment, as well as CNC machining centres manufactured by LK, has beenexported to various countries and regions across the globe. LK’s customers include various internationally renowned brands, such asToyota, General Motors,Foxconn and Mattel.
   
After its public listing in Hong Kong in 2006, LK further expanded its international business.In 2008,LK acquired Idra, a world-leading die-casting machine manufacturer basedin Italy, along with its brand name.This laid a solid foundation for the groupto enter the European market, and LK became the world’slargest manufacturer of die-casting machines.

Achieving Industry-Academia Collaboration in R&D
   
The traditional manufacturing industry has been confronted with intense pressurefrom market competition.Therefore, it is essential for the manufacturingindustryto optimise its technological applications to enhance its comparativeadvantages.

As a pioneer in the industry, Liu has led LK towards high value-added products throughcooperation between industries, universities and research institutes. As Liustated, “In2000, we established the Tsinghua-L.K. Advanced Die-casting TechnologyResearch Centre with Tsinghua University, and we developed a large-tonnagemagnesium alloy die-casting machine to fill the technology gap in the Mainlandmarket.”By 2008, LK cooperated with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University andhad launched the world’s first bottom-up high- precision plasticmicro-injection moulding machine, a product that received the “Gold Medal Awardat the 35th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.”

When asked if he had any tips for manufacturers who would like to leverage industry–academiacooperation to achieve transformation and upgrades, Liu replied that the essential success factor is whether themanufacturers can apply the most suitable technology in the manufacturing process.“When pairing technology with academic research teams, manufacturers shouldappoint employees who have a keen sense of product development to makejudgments on choosing the appropriate technologies that can help improve thevalue of the product and bring high returns.”

Focusing on Technological Enhancement

With theemergence of Industry 4.0, LK has begun to provide comprehensive die-casting,injection moulding and smart-machining solutions for customers of various manufacturingindustries. LK has been upgrading the technology aspects of its machinery tointroduce intelligent solutions, such as datamation and digitalisation, andenergysaving and environmental protection functions to improve customers’production efficiency, thus encouraging their customers to move towards smartmanufacturing.

In view of the current market for die-casting machines,Liu believes that LK’s products arevery competitive and can already be in line with the top die-casting machine manufacturersin various countries in the world. “China’s injection molding equipment is veryadvantageous in the mid-range and large-scale machinery and equipment market, butin terms of precision machinery production, it may be difficult for China tocompete with countries such as Japan and Germany. Local manufacturers cancontinue to strive for upstream in the high-end market.”

In 2019, LK successfully partnered with a well-known American electric vehicle company thathad produced the largest-scale die-casting machine available on the market worldwide.
   
 “Of course, that created a lot of pressure! The production processwas not easy, but we knew that as long as we could overcome the challenges ofthis technology, we could bring a brand-new production model to the electricvehicle industry”,Liu said.
      
Last year, LK won the “Hong Kong Premier Brand” in the 2019 Hong Kong Top Brand Awards. LKwas also conferred the Equipment and Machinery Design Award for its DCC5000 large-scale intelligent die-casting machinein the 2019 HongKong Awards for Industries. Liu attributes LK’s success to its underlyingmotivation: “We want our customers to get the most benefit because theirsuccess is our success,” he said in the interview.
       
Stepping into the Medical Equipment Market
     
The COVID-19 pandemic has had unexpected results.“Since the flare upof the Sino-US trade disputes in 2018,many manufacturers have adopted await-and-see attitude. Consumer sentiment in the Mainland has greatly reduced,whichhas led to the decline of motor vehicles’ sales volume.At first, we thought thesituation might improve in 2020, but we were unexpectedly faced with theCOVID-19 pandemic,causing a continuing decline in orders”, Liu described.
     
These difficult times have driven Liu to re-examine his business and to set a new direction forLK’s future development. LK has seized the opportunity of surging demand formelt-blown cloth, the core material of making medical masks, “We havecooperated with the City University of Hong Kong to develop melt-blown clothmachines to produce decomposable plastic fabrics in the hope of reducing thepollution caused by traditional disposable masks.”
    
He also sees the silver economy as a new business opportunity. “With the aging population in theMainland, we are planning to expand the production of precision medical instruments and rehabilitation equipment,such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, thermometers and smart wheelchairs,in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the near future. As wecontinue to explore our scope of business, we will keep ourselves abreast ofnational development trends.”
    
During the interview, Liu was always smiling. “I love working more than traveling orentertainment,” he confided;“there is nothing morefulfilling to me than developing a machine.” Perhaps Liu’s love of machineryhas allowed him to continue leading the company after its 40th anniversary,strivingto break new ground and stand out in the industry.

內(nèi)容來(lái)源：香港中華廠商聯(lián)合會(huì)