In order to implement President Xi Jinping's high-quality development plan on promoting the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and center on the international strategic layout of CNBM,the Group began to explore the development of overseas warehouse models in South Africa in 2018 and the overseas warehouse in Johannesburg, South Africa was officially opened In January 2019.

In the initial stage of the development of the South African Company, both the funds and personnel were very tight. Problems such as channels for product procurement and sales had not been opened, the shortage of customers, the lack of market experience, the instability of social security,and the unsuitable living environment and other difficulties followed one after another. The Company urgently needed a local employee who was familiar with the local market and had comprehensive business capabilities to kick start projects. And this was when Amelia Denise Bothma joined the team.

Amelia, who was born in 1961, was nearly 60 years old when she joined the company. In China, this is the age of retirement, but Amelia is full of passion every day and devotes herself to her work.

At the beginning of the South African Company's start-up, the manpower was very tight, and each person took on several roles in sales and procurement, not only in front-end customs clearance but also in product storage. She is meticulous and responsible in her work, and the company entrusted her with the management of sales documents. She processed, archived and managed hundreds of pages of sales documents every day with zero mistakes. To effectively carry out warehouse inventory, after getting off work every day, Amelia took a few young people to work overtime to sort out the goods, update the inventory ledger, and clear the account book every day. Amelia is the head of the company, and her high sense of responsibility also affects other local employees. Under her training, the warehouse team is becoming stronger and stronger, overcoming difficulties and seizing the big market in South Africa.

The epidemic that began in 2020 was both an opportunity and a challenge. It is precisely because of the epidemic that many local competitors in South Africa could not work, and domestic competitive factories could not visit customers in South Africa.At this time, the South African team took advantage of the strong supply chain resources to prepare a complete range of products and successively introduced off-grid inverters, lead-acid batteries,and other products to ensure sufficient supply,successfully developing many high-quality and stable customers, and continuously increased market influence as well as the Company’s market share.

Over the past five years, the performance of South African Company has continuously achieved explosive growth, from a few million, tens of millions,and 100 million to more than 1 billion. It has been a journey from excellent to outstanding! And Amelia's personal sales performance in 2022 also reached 249 million rands (approximately 90 million yuan),which had made an important contribution to the Company's exceeding performance goals.

At present, the overseas warehouse in South Africa has established a "1+3" market layout covering 30 thousand square meters, with Johannesburg as the headquarters and Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth as the sub-warehouses. The new energy production chain provides distribution and service,and provides customers with localized after-sales service, forming a development pattern centered on South Africa and radiating to neighboring countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia.

In the process of operating an overseas company,the development of local employees is verymimportant. The local employees are usually more familiar with the local working methods, and there is no cultural barrier, so many problems can be easily solved. Therefore, the Company has continuously increased its efforts in the construction of local talent teams, attracting and cultivating local high-quality talents.

In the initial stage of the South African Company,due to the shortage of localized employees, Amelia recommended her daughter, Shannon Leigh Kate,to the company. After a rigorous assessment,Shannon officially joined the South African team in February 2020 as an administrator. After entering the Company, Shannon also inherited her mother's serious, responsible, dedicated, and loyal character.She never complains or shirks at work. She is also down-to-earth, and always finds ways to solve difficulties, which is fully recognized by everyone.

The team has continued to grow with the continuous expansion of the Company's evergrowing scale.At present, the South African team has a total of 145 employees, including 127 local employees,accounting for 87% of the total personnel.

Nowadays, the "Belt and Road" Initiative has reached a critical stage of deep cultivation and meticulous craftsmanship. Overseas warehouses have gradually become a new station for Chinese manufacturing to go global, and a bridge of friendship that connects different economies and cultures. Under the localization strategy, Amelia relies on a dedicated spirit and always prioritizes the Company's interests. Through continuous efforts and practice, she enhances her own advantages,tightens the connection with the company, and integrates into the tide of economic globalization,walking out a mutually beneficial and win-win path.

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Porcelain Pioneer and His Journey Overseas

Zhang Bing

Joined CNBM in 2018

Salesman in the International Trade Department of SINOMA Electric Porcelain