Xu Huafu, Manager of the Product Innovation Department at the Drive Shaft Company

“During that period, you could always find the workshop lit up until four in the morning,” Xu Huafu said with a faint smile on his face. Everyone is familiar with the inspiring story of “Los Angeles at Four in the Morning”—a metaphor for the quiet, relentless effort behind every success. At Wanxiang, there’s a group of people who, during the critical phase of project delivery, keep working tirelessly from when the stars are still twinkling until the east begins to lighten. Xu Huafu from the Transmission Shaft Company is one of them.

This year marks the 21st year that Xu Huafu has been working at Wanxiang. As a veteran employee, he participated in the revision of the 2019 edition of the industry standard QC/T29082, "Technical Specifications and Bench Test Methods for Automotive Drive Shafts," and drafted the 2020 edition of the Zhejiang Standard for "Automotive Drive Shaft Assemblies" under the "Made in Zhejiang" initiative. Several key projects he has been involved in—such as the "Integral Light-Duty Truck Drive Shaft" and the "Research and Industrialization of Key Technologies for Green, Long-Life Universal Drive Shaft Systems"—have repeatedly won the Zhejiang Mechanical Industry Science and Technology Award as well as the Wanxiang Qianchao Science and Technology "Entrepreneurship" and "Innovation" Awards. In 2024, he was named a "Distinguished Engineer" of Zhejiang Province. Yet, more than these honors, what truly stays with Xu Huafu are the days and nights he spent working tirelessly alongside his colleagues.

Working day and night to develop new products.

In recent years, the automotive industry has been shifting toward green and low-carbon development, leading to a sharp increase in demand from automakers for lightweight products. In response, the transmission shaft company has initiated preliminary research and development of a lightweight aluminum alloy transmission shaft. In 2020, two customers using the 9N model extended an offer to the company, requesting mass production. This put considerable pressure on the project team led by Xu Huafu. As they looked at the handcrafted prototypes already produced by the company, they couldn't help but feel overwhelmed: how many countless hurdles would they have to overcome—from prototype development all the way to large-scale production? Xu Huafu didn't have time to dwell on such worries; instead, he immediately got down to work, racing against time.

Recalling that summer, Xu Huafu described it as a nonstop whirlwind of activity: product design, performance testing, materials technology, friction welding techniques, necking processes... Time was tight, and there were countless hurdles to overcome—every time one challenge was solved, another would immediately arise. Even now, looking back, the details remain vividly etched in his memory. During the day, engineers would work together to study and refine improvement plans; after work, they’d stay on site to assist frontline workers in their operations. “We had to be right there on the spot, monitoring closely—because the initial parameter settings often didn’t work out, and we had to keep fine-tuning again and again.” As the Book of Songs puts it, “Like cutting and polishing, like carving and grinding”—that’s exactly how they approached their work. No matter how late it got, they were determined to strive for perfection, meticulously adjusting until the results reached the highest level of precision. To meet delivery deadlines, the project team frequently worked overtime until dawn, then took just a few hours’ rest before resuming work the next day. Thanks to their relentless efforts, the product entered mass production smoothly, and its innovative new structure became an industry first, filling a long-standing gap in the company’s market offerings.

Craftsmanship shapes industry standards.

Xu Huafu’s 20 years of dedication at Wanxiang have also been 20 years of deep immersion in the driveshaft industry. His name is closely associated with the 2019 edition of the industry standard QC/T29082, “Technical Specifications and Bench Test Methods for Automotive Driveshafts.” Before this revision, the industry had been using the earlier 1992 version. As technology has advanced rapidly, many of the provisions in that older standard had become obsolete. Xu Huafu and his colleagues faced a monumental undertaking. From the initial drafting stage through countless rounds of discussions, revisions, and even complete rework and restructuring, the entire process took over a decade. The revision of the standard became an integral part of their daily work, involving an endless array of intricate and tedious tasks.

Xu Huafu not only keeps abreast of the latest industry developments but also updates performance parameters and experimental methods, organizes expert reviews, and ensures the scientific rigor and forward-looking nature of the documents. Often, even after work hours, Xu Huafu is still diligently drawing diagrams on his computer. To guarantee the strictness of the standards, he meticulously refines them round after round of meetings, repeatedly polishing and continuously optimizing them. Revising industry standards has taught Xu Huafu to embrace long-termism, giving him an in-depth understanding of both the development trends and cutting-edge technologies in the transmission shaft industry—making it a vital source of motivation for his personal growth and learning.

Seize the opportunity and meet the challenge.

As the manager of the Product Innovation Department, Xu Huafu oversees a team of more than 20 people, and his daily work is both busy and fulfilling. His phone contains over a hundred WeChat groups, and he’s already received dozens of red-dot notifications from interviews. From being a project engineer to becoming a manager, the first major change he’s experienced is the sheer volume of information he has to handle. Every day, as soon as he opens WeChat groups, emails, BPM systems, and other platforms, he finds various documents circulating and review processes waiting to be advanced. Not only does he need to dive deep into the front lines to participate in projects firsthand, but he also has to adopt a holistic mindset, coordinating and aligning efforts across the board, and leading his colleagues to tackle challenges head-on.

Over the years, Xu Huafu has witnessed the rapid evolution of the automotive industry. In his view, the meteoric rise of the new-energy vehicle market presents both challenges and opportunities for traditional auto parts suppliers. “We must innovate, break through barriers, and enhance our strengths. We should strive to meet these challenges head-on and win over more customers.” Speaking about the future, he is brimming with confidence. For a pragmatic, hardworking, and persistent craftsman, nothing in the world is truly impossible—only those who lack determination need fear failure. “My work philosophy is simply ‘perseverance.’ I’ll do everything in my power to overcome any difficulty.”

The “craftsman spirit” is precious precisely because it’s distilled from years of relentless pursuit of excellence. Time bears witness to the quality assurance embodied by Wanxiang’s manufacturing, and we, too, are documenting the stories of countless ordinary Wanxiang craftsmen. After the interview concluded, Xu Huafu hurriedly answered a phone call, returning to his busy daily routine...