White elephant battery change history

Shanghai is the birthplace of China's battery industry. More than 90 years ago, it opened a white elephant battery that no one knows in Shanghai. In the memory of many Shanghainese, every household has a tin flashlight with two white-labeled batteries. A sense of security.

Nowadays, with the innovation of technology, batteries can be made lighter and smaller. In the context of increasingly fierce domestic homogenization competition, Baixiang Battery also focuses on foreign trade development from focusing on domestic trade, but this does not mean leaving the domestic market. Huang Youwei, chairman of Shanghai Baixiang Swan Battery Co., Ltd. told reporters that in recent years, the company has started to develop young products and fashion elements in new product development to attract young consumers.

Three generations of people have changed their lives

China's battery industry originated in Shanghai. Around 1925, Dehe, Jingxin, Central, Kongming, Guangyao and many other battery factories in Shanghai were opened during this period, among which Shanghai Huiming Battery Factory was the most famous. After the vicissitudes of history, in 1946, Shanghai Huiming Battery Factory had more than 600 employees, more than 400 dozens of Japanese flashlights, and more than 8,000 batteries. The output accounted for half of the industry. However, the good times did not last long. In 1947, the US Yuehua brand iron-shell battery was dumped in China, and the sales of domestic paper-shell batteries were seriously affected. This situation continued until the liberation of Shanghai on May 27, 1949, and the Shanghai Battery Factory was established.

Connected with the fate of the battery factory, the white elephant battery has also flowed. As the earliest brand in China's battery industry, it was founded in the 1930s and was created by the then Shanghai Huaming Battery Factory. It has been nearly 90 years old. In 1964, the "White Elephant" trademark was accompanied by Shanghai Huaming. The battery factory was merged into Shanghai Huiming Battery Factory. In 1990, it was merged with Shanghai Huiming Battery Factory into Shanghai Battery Factory. In 1999, Shanghai Battery Factory was transformed. The newly formed Shanghai White Elephant Swan Battery Co., Ltd. won the "White Elephant" and "Swan". The intangible assets of the trademark were registered by the State Trademark Office in the same year.

As early as during World War II, Baixiang relied on its reliable quality and good reputation to travel across the ocean to Southeast Asia and the European market, becoming the "main player" that competed with foreign goods. In order to make the white elephant grow up, the factory has accumulated three generations of efforts, introduced, digested and absorbed foreign advanced equipment and technology, and developed a variety of more than 100 varieties of paper, cascading, alkaline, nickel cadmium, etc. At a good time, the annual sales volume reached more than 400 million. The products are exported to more than 40 countries and regions. The name is far away from overseas (especially in Southeast Asia where overseas Chinese live), and the export earns tens of millions of dollars.

The efforts of several generations have brought many honors to the white elephant battery. It has been awarded the title of national, city and ministry quality products for dozens of times. It has been awarded the title of Shanghai Famous Brand for 18 consecutive years and the registered trademark of "White Elephant" in 2011. It was also recognized as the Chinese time-honored brand by the Ministry of Commerce.

Years of fake fighting

Since the 1960s, in order to coordinate production, the production structure of the industry has been adjusted on a large scale, and each product has a clear division of labor. Therefore, when the "White Elephant" and "Swan" trademarks belong to Shanghai Baixiang Swan Battery Co., Ltd., in view of themselves In the popularity of the earlier market in the respective markets, the company still retains the pattern of "domestic sales mainly based on white elephants and exporting mainly to swan".

In the 1990s, the white elephant battery was not bad, but it was threatened by the ruthless "whale" and "eaten" of fake goods. In the market, counterfeit and fake goods are emerging one after another. Nearly to the neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang, as far as Harbin and Guangzhou, many openly carry the banner of white elephants and swans，to fake the truth, even to fake the truth.

For example, a traditional white elephant brand large battery, the factory minimum price of seven cents, the profit is only a few cents. The fake white elephants are low in cost, and each sells only five cents, causing consumers to be fooled. What's even more incredible is that the inferior fake white elephants, "were under the city", began to flood into Shanghai from all over the place. At that time, the Shanghai battery factory "counterfeiting office" bought four white elephant batteries in the Shanghai small commodity market. There are 3 sections that are fake.

The fake fakes not only pinpoint the domestic market of white elephants but also extend the claws to overseas markets. West Africa is the international hot market for swan batteries, but because an export company in the neighboring provinces shipped a large number of a counterfeit swan to West Africa for price competition, forcing the real swan to fall, the battery factory suffered huge brand reputation and economic losses.

In 2001, the white elephant battery that had been chased and blocked and had no retreat had to resort to the state-controlled heavy ion accelerator, putting all white elephant products on the anti-counterfeiting protection of integrating atomic energy, electronics, chemistry, machinery and printing technology. Service, named "heavy ion microporous anti-counterfeiting logo."

This kind of logo must be made by a state-controlled heavy ion accelerator and other devices. The micropores on the mark are only one-hundredth of a hair, which can't be seen by the human eye, but the micro hole can Diffraction and refracted light, due to the micro-hole image of the blue-and-white image of the anti-counterfeit logo, the consumer can identify the authenticity with water. After the water is applied, the white elephant pattern will disappear, and the water will dry the white elephant pattern. It will be reproduced again. However, due to the high cost, the current anti-counterfeit packaging is only used on some hot products.

Foreign trade pays attention to marketization strategy

Under the tide of the market economy, the competition of battery brands is particularly cruel. In order to grab market share, the market investment of many well-known brands at home and abroad has been increasing every year. As the domestic market tends to be saturated, Shanghai Baixiang Swan Battery Co., Ltd. has made a determination to adjust its sales focus. With the marketing strategy of "large battery with small battery", it has continuously expanded overseas markets, among which "Swan" is mainly sold to West Africa. "White elephants" are mainly sold to East Africa and Southeast Asia. Since 2011, the company's battery sales have remained at around 5 billion knots, of which more than 80% are export products, and annual foreign exchange earns tens of millions of dollars.

From focusing on domestic trade to focusing on foreign trade, we must overcome the uncertainties in the international market. The most "stupid" and most effective way is to strictly control quality and win the trust of consumers at home and abroad with products that are superior to relevant national standards and standards. For example, in Africa, a large amount of zinc-manganese batteries are exported. Natural manganese is one of the raw materials for the production of zinc-manganese batteries. In order to improve the discharge performance of the products, the company adds about 20% of electrolytic manganese at a cost, which is nearly 10,000 tons higher than natural manganese per ton. However, the R20 iron shell battery produced with this mixed raw material has a continuous discharge time of more than 300 minutes, and the relevant industry standard requires only not less than 270 minutes.

In addition to the raw materials, the company also adapts the products according to the "individualized" needs of overseas customers: for the characteristics of high humidity in Southeast Asia, a thin layer of anti-rust oil is applied to the electrodes; for the characteristics of high temperature in Africa, A small amount of rosin and paraffin are added to the sealing of the battery to improve the sealing performance. For each country and region, the color preference is taboo, and the same product even has a variety of outer packaging.

In order to ensure the quality of the products, the company introduced a mechanized automatic detector to verify the electrical performance of the battery on the assembly line and arranged for the line workers and inspectors to "second check" the products. After the product was put into storage, the warehouse inspection was also organized. The staff conducts random inspections to fundamentally ensure the continued stability of product quality.

Only by continuous improvement can the products dance with the "wolf" in the international market. In the African market, due to the low consumption power of local residents, the next traditional Swan No. 1 battery is very popular because of its low price and good quality. It will sell more than 180 million pieces a year, up to 1 to 2 billion. Ten thousand. In the past two years, in order to guide the African market, it is also possible to use energy-saving and environmentally-friendly batteries. On the one hand, the company will improve the high-mercury to low-mercury, and on the other hand, in every freight car that is transported. A few boxes of alkaline batteries to test the market's acceptance.

Domestic sales target young people market

Focusing on foreign trade does not mean losing the domestic market. Ye Banghong, deputy general manager of Shanghai Baixiang Swan Battery Co., Ltd., told reporters: "In recent years, how to promote in the younger generation and inherit the national brand of white elephant battery has become the focus of the company." At the same time of quality products, the company fits the preferences of young people and works hard on packaging design concepts. Last year, the company developed a constellation concept battery, the product packaging boldly chooses the bright dark blue, the bottom is also painted with the auspicious color of each constellation, a version of 12 sections, combined fashion, and beauty.

On March 5 this year, Lei Feng Day, the marketing department took the battery to display sales on Nanjing West Road. They are delighted to find that middle-aged and old people are buying traditional models, while young people prefer constellation. According to the feedback from the market, the company plans to introduce the exclusive battery of the 12 constellations. One version of the battery will be a constellation, and the future will be tried on e-commerce. In addition, the toy battery for children will be designed with a brand new cartoon bag. The elephant on the top is wearing a pair of trousers with a flush on the face, some kicking the football, some waving the ribbon, and the appearance is dexterous and cute.

Like many old brands, white elephant batteries are also "touching" with the younger generation through the Internet. Today, Baixiang Battery has opened online stores in Jingdong, Tmall, No. 1 shop, Fei Niu and other channels, not only to promote the brand but also to improve and upgrade from some feedback from customers. For example, a 60-inch box of white elephant No. 5 battery sold online, the company is considering upgrading the carton packaging to a special storage box, so that even if the battery runs out, consumers can use the storage box to put other small Objects to enhance the consumer's goodwill towards the goods.

In recent years, as the society pays more and more attention to environmental protection, sustainable, white elephant, Swan Battery has also begun the "green transformation" road, combining adjustment and development to promote the mercury-free transformation of mercury-containing batteries. Battery development trend, environmentally friendly, high value-added alkaline batteries. At the same time, products that meet the trend of the battery industry should be laid out as early as possible, and the development of new products pays more attention to the discharge time and stability of the products. At the beginning of this year, the company also designed a high-power alkaline battery for the domestic market.

Talking about the future development of the company, Huang Youwei believes that to provide quality products that meet the requirements of the market to the market, to earnestly maintain the reputation of the company's brand, and to strive to expand the product market coverage, enterprises must have room for development and opportunities to achieve real meaning. Sustainable development. He hopes that the company's brand development can be as steadily forward as an elephant, like a swan, flying to the world. The old Chinese brand has become a favorite necessity of the public.

The page contains the contents of the machine translation.