Back on May 25, 2018, at the project kickoff meeting, Wang Xiang Jinggong’s senior project engineer stood tall and spoke with unwavering determination: “As the implementers of Wang Xiang Jinggong’s strategic project, our W Project MEB New Energy Electric Drive Platform Front and Rear Hub Bearing Unit Development Team will work closely together, carry forward innovation in relay fashion, push beyond limits, break out of our ‘comfort zones,’ and go all out to win this critical project battle.” They lived up to their words and delivered results—exactly as they promised.

We are going all out to finalize the optimal solution. The MEB new-energy electric-drive platform is the technological cornerstone that will lead W Project through the early stages of the electric-vehicle era. Relying on its robust R&D capabilities and exceptionally high product quality, Wanxiang Precision confidently stepped into the fray. As early as March 2017, the company began engaging in preliminary project-related work. After conducting an initial feasibility analysis, holding multiple rounds of technical discussions and exchanges, and undergoing several rounds of business negotiations, in November 2018, the company successfully secured the development nomination for this platform project.

In terms of project development for this customer, Wanxiang Precision has extensive experience. However, the bearings used in the MEB platform are subjected to heavier loads than ever before and demand lower friction torque. At the same time, while achieving low friction, it’s also crucial to ensure excellent sealing performance. Moreover, during the design and development process, we must take into account the unique characteristics of pure electric vehicles, such as low energy consumption and extended range... The challenges are significant, and the tasks are demanding. To meet these challenges head-on, Wanxiang Precision quickly assembled a dedicated MEB project development team—fully equipped to tackle tough assignments. Wang Jianhua is responsible for overall coordination, having formulated a comprehensive project development plan based on the customer’s milestone requirements and organized the project kickoff meeting.

There were no “military orders” and no “grandiose declarations”—only stringent performance targets, urgent task milestones, and clearly defined responsibilities. For a long time, the project team members’ daily routines were consumed by various activities such as numerical analysis, material selection, and phone calls: they spent their days studying design proposals and their nights poring over literature and meticulously refining details. After trying out numerous approaches and exhausting every “dead end” in the maze, the project finally achieved a milestone breakthrough—the design proposal was finalized.

“Project development work allows for no room for even the slightest carelessness. We must truly put ourselves in the shoes of the user and approach every task from the user’s perspective.” Wang Jianhua pressed forward under immense pressure, working alongside this elite team to make each day count as two. From procurement and supply to production quality control, stage reviews, bench testing, and re-inspection on road tests—the road ahead remains fraught with challenges. Yet the project team’s relentless determination to overcome obstacles has never wavered. “Leave action to the present moment; leave results to time.” With each successive improvement in technical specifications, with every breakthrough achieved in tackling stubborn bottlenecks and difficult problems, and along every step of our original mission and commitment, everyone silently recites this mantra, marching courageously forward to the sound of the rallying cry.
Innovation and breakthroughs highlight our R&D strength. Every week, the project team gathers for brainstorming sessions, breaking free from conventional thinking patterns and sparking creative inspiration. One after another, fresh ideas and brilliant concepts emerge, propelling the project forward at an accelerated pace. “What users truly need is exactly what we should be focusing on most,” says the project team. Actively benchmarking against user needs, the team has embarked on a relentless pursuit of perfection right from the stage of finalizing the product’s structural design.

How can we achieve maximum product lightweighting? How can we ensure the product’s load-bearing capacity while meeting lightweighting requirements? Which type of lubricant best guarantees sealing performance? And what’s the optimal design for the sealing structure?… In the design phase, user-centric thinking and user experience are top priorities for the project team. Product engineers and CAE analysis engineers comprehensively consider these interrelated yet critically important factors. After numerous rounds of theoretical analysis and calculations, CAE analysis modeling, and technical reviews, they have finally finalized the product’s structural design.

Through actual bench testing, the durability life of MEB platform bearings has been doubled, their strength life has been quadrupled, and their rigidity has improved by approximately 32%. In terms of friction torque, the average friction torque of non-driving bearings is about 40% lower than that of competitors, while the average friction torque of driving bearings is roughly 22% lower than that of competitors, reaching an internationally leading level. Under the low-friction design, the product’s sealing performance also meets the highest standards, achieving a breakthrough in performance characterized by “high strength, lightweight design, low torque, and long service life.”

After overcoming design challenges and completing bench tests, the project team will deliver the product to the customer for an 8,000-kilometer enhanced road test and a 100,000-kilometer comprehensive road test. Each time Wang Jianhua delivers samples, he rigorously inspects both the physical quality of the samples and the self-inspection data on materials, ensuring that the submitted samples meet all requirements. The road tests were successfully completed, and in early September 2021, the project received the customer’s engineering approval report.
Through close collaboration, we’ve achieved smooth delivery. “At no time should you ever doubt the significance of your efforts. Focus on the present moment and do your best with what’s right in front of you—I believe this is precisely what has enabled our project team to move forward steadily and confidently.” To meet users’ stringent standards, Wang Jianhua has maintained an extremely rigorous “bottom-line awareness” to keep the project on track. Despite the myriad challenges posed by cross-border collaboration, team members have overcome these obstacles through seamless coordination, hard work, and professional excellence, demonstrating to international clients China’s remarkable speed and Wanxiang’s unparalleled quality.

In the later stage of process development, the customer suddenly informed us that the sample delivery deadline needed to be moved up by two weeks. At that point, there was less than a month remaining until the sample delivery date, and shipping itself would also take time. Faced with this urgent situation, Wang Jianhua took the lead in convening a production coordination meeting. Based on the customer’s revised deadline, he organized and coordinated production tasks across all processing stages. The entire company went into high gear: the Project Management Department, Operations Department, Quality Assurance Department, and all manufacturing departments actively cooperated, working overtime under emergency conditions while rigorously maintaining quality control at each stage. Meanwhile, the Marketing Department raced against time, making preparations for shipment well in advance. Every single step was meticulously planned and executed to ensure absolute reliability, with seamless coordination and smooth handovers—leaving no moment wasted. In the end, thanks to everyone’s concerted efforts, the company successfully delivered the qualified samples to the customer within the stipulated timeframe.

In June 2022, exciting news arrived: the company received information indicating that users were requesting over 8,500 sets of front and rear bearings per week, with the first batch of supplies expected to be delivered by August. While everyone was delighted, challenges soon emerged. The user required that the complete product set and production-process approval documents be submitted via Beon—the online sample approval system—and shipment could only proceed after these documents were confirmed. Faced with this system, which they had never encountered before, the project team didn't back down. Wang Jianhua took the initiative to familiarize himself with the system first. Whenever he came across something he didn't know or didn't understand, he consulted relevant materials and reached out to the user's quality engineer in charge of the export project. In no time, he mastered the system's operation, smoothly uploaded the required documents, and obtained the user's confirmation.

After four years of simultaneous development and two years of continuous supply, and following rigorous testing and verification at every stage, the front and rear hub bearing unit project for the W project’s MEB new-energy electric drive platform has received high recognition from our customers. The successful development and integrated supply of this project have marked a significant breakthrough for Wanxiang Jinggong in the global market and have also enhanced the company’s overall technological capabilities. Building on the success of this project, the company has also been nominated for exclusive simultaneous development on other projects and has already begun mass supply this year. Thanks to its technological advantages in green design and low energy consumption, as well as its standout features of low torque and lightweight construction, the project has been awarded the Science and Technology Progress Award by the China Machinery Industry Federation and the “Zhejiang Province Outstanding Industrial Product” title. Furthermore, the project team has been honored with the “Innovation” award for 2023 by Wanxiang Qianchao.

“Honors embody the hard work and dedication of every member of the project development team—they represent both recognition and responsibility. After listening to the speech delivered by Chairman Weiding, which centered on the theme of responsibility, we’ve been even more inspired to embrace our entrepreneurial spirit and drive forward with vigor.” Members of the project team unanimously expressed that they will continue to shoulder their responsibilities and fulfill their duties around the “9+N” development goals, daring to take initiative and deliver outstanding results. They are committed to refining, optimizing, and strengthening our wheel bearing products, thereby contributing to the realization of our vision: “Global manufacturing, global markets, and becoming the industry’s leader.”