Migrant worker reaps rewards as print technology innovator
Gong Hongliang works at the printing workshop of Shanghai Zidan Food Packaging and Printing Co.
When Gong Hongliang left his hometown in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and landed in Shanghai 20 years ago, he may not have expected the city would give him such a life of fulfillment and opportunity in return for his hard work.
"This city welcomed me with its generosity. Like people here often say, Shanghai is a big ocean that embraces all the rivers," Gong said.
Gong joined the Shanghai Zidan Food Packaging and Printing Co in Minhang District's Maqiao Town, not knowing a tide of industrial revolution was about to storm the country.
During the early 2000s, the method of offset printing (a widely used technology that uses a large printing plate to transfer inked images onto rubber blankets, then to paper or other material surfaces) was mainstream in the printing industry.
Though a more economical option when it comes to producing large quantities, this technology can leave harmful substances such as heavy metals and fluorescent agents on food packaging and is apt to cause secondary pollution.
"We were thinking about how to make Chinese diners eat in a healthier way," Gong said.
After going through piles of reference materials, he and his team tried flexography, in which non-toxic, water-based, environmentally friendly ink is used to print on packages that directly touch food covered in the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) system.
Also, the team broke the technical bottleneck to lower the cost and improve the printing effect.
The method soon became widely used in the market. As one of the pioneers of flexography in China, the Zidan company is now a benchmark in food packaging and printing, with its clients including some of the world's best-known fast-food giants such as KFC and McDonald's.
Gong Hongliang (second from left) discusses with his colleagues.
Over the past two decades, Gong and his team have conducted a series of technical improvement programs that have helped reduce costs and yielded profits of nearly 100 million yuan (US$14.72 million).
"Printing was once an underdog industry, and my family was against me working in Shanghai 20 years ago," Gong recalled. "But I was lucky that it proved to be the right choice. I've grown with the industry as well as the city for 20 years."
He has worked his way up to become the company's deputy production director but still operates on the front line.
He has won awards such as "Shanghai Model Worker," "Chief Technician" and "Shanghai Craftsman" and been recognized as one of China's six flexographic printing engineers.
In 2007, the central government imposed a ban on free plastic bags to reduce plastic waste. An opportunity and challenge presented itself, so Gong and his team tried to replace plastic with paper – no easy task because the two materials are very different.
"To be frank, I'm very headstrong," Gong said. "I can work in the studio for 24 or 36 hours with my team on tests and doing debugs."
Their efforts resulted in the development of biodegradable paper boxes and high-impact paper buckets, both water- and oil-proof, as a substitute for plastic. The products are now used as take-out boxes for chain catering brands such as Xibei and Hefan Dongfan.
"A passion for innovation has kept me going for years," he said. "It also gives me a great sense of achievement when I see my products in restaurants and on the streets."
The once polluting printing industry with a dim future has become a promising eco-friendly field. Gong is dedicated to training young employees and regularly gives lectures on flexography to other companies, contributing to the rapid development of the industry.
"The country has paid more attention to manufacturing in recent years. I hope we can break the glass ceiling for skilled technicians by providing more opportunities for promotion," Gong said.
"Benefit packages and incentive programs can be created to attract more young talent into the industry," Gong added.
