IP PEOPLE: Dong Mingzhu: Innovation Is The Soul Of A Brand-Part 2

IP PEOPLE: Some say that IP is a powerful competition tool. How do you see the relationship between IP and business competition?

Dong Mingzhu: The market itself is competitive. To gain a foothold in the market, a company must be able to provide good products for consumers to improve the quality of their lives, which entails independent innovation. To Gree, IP is the outcome, but not the purpose, of innovation.

In addition, IP gives a company the upper hand in fierce competition. We become who we are today thanks to our product quality and technology innovation, rather than advertising. Over the years we have been sticking to independent R&D, and we have created many technologies that others do not have. That 's how we gain our competitive advantage.

IP PEOPLE: The Gree v. AUX case has been in the limelight in recent years. AUX was ordered to pay RMB 40 million in damages, making the case "the most expensive infringement case in the home appliance industry." How do you see the dispute between Gree and AUX now?

Dong Mingzhu: To achieve healthy development of manufacturing, we must not let bad money drive out good money. Unfair competition is not only exhausting market players, but also eroding the whole Chinese manufacturing industry.

Integrity is the bottom line for a person, a company, and a country. However, it takes lots of efforts to make integrity the norm in an industry. When inferior products are rampant in the market, someone must stand out against the dishonesty and redress their practices. A company must not give in just because it falls victim to dishonesty. Entrepreneurs must stick to their faith and be honest. Steadfast faith will pay off one day.

A free R&D environment can breed innovation power

IP PEOPLE: High-caliber versatile IP talents are scarce in China, and it takes a long time to foster excellent, pragmatic IP professionals. As we know, Gree has put great emphasis on talent training. How do you foster IP talents? What are your expectations and requirements for them?

Dong Mingzhu: At Gree, talent development is based on our development experience and corporate culture. We source talent both internally and externally, and have gradually formed a talent development model with a comprehensive incentive system at its core.

Amid today's fierce competition for talent, we have stepped up our effort in talent development. Talent is everything. Without talent, nothing is possible. Our talent team has been growing with a constantly optimized composition over the years. At present, we have 90,000 employees, including 15,000 R&D employees and 36,000 skilled workers. At Gree, employees are given opportunities to engage in IP activities as long as they want to. We provide a platform where young people are given as many opportunities as possible to do research.

The automated production lines running at Gree are all developed by our own R&D team. Everyone on the team is able to fulfill their potential. So, as part of our effort to spur innovation, we offer young people a stage to shine, and provide them a free R&D environment.

IP PEOPLE: Gree is a leading manufacturer in China. How do you think the manufacturing industry should respond to the opportunities and challenges in the current business landscape?

Dong Mingzhu: Innovation is the soul of a brand. Chinese brands carry the mission of turning China into a world manufacturing power. This mission can never be accomplished by dint of reliance on other countries ' technology. That 's why Gree has stuck to independent innovation over the years. We believe that to become a great brand, we must be a leader, not a follower. And we also believe that independent innovation is the formula for success.

Technological innovation is a surefire route to national prosperity, which encourages both innovators and Chinese brands. Though opportunities and threats coexist, Chinese brands are presented with a great chance to build resilience and enhance core competencies.

Since the 18th National Congress, China has been attaching great importance to the development of independent brands. It proposed to promote "the transformation of Chinese products into Chinese brands", and set up the "China Brand Day" to help independent brands gain more visibility, enhance competitiveness and gather momentum, thus fostering more "century-old brands." However, branding must be supported by business strength, which places higher requirements for innovation, quality, integrity, and social responsibility.

Independent innovation is the key for Chinese brands to go global, and it is also an important step in China 's industrial transformation. Relying on technology import is tantamount to giving our "lifeline" up to others. In this case, companies may not be able to survive, let alone build brands. Only by creating truly competitive products through innovation, can we build a brand with global appeal. In addition, a respectable brand must be built on quality and integrity. Being responsible for consumers is the only way for us to achieve common development and win-win results. (the statistical time of the relevant data involved in this article is as of September 2021)

Source: IPR Daily-IP PEOPLE

Editor: IPR Daily-Selly