Recently, FV Media’s “MM Modern Manufacturing” published an exclusive interview with Wu Yuhui, General Manager of STEP. Mr. Wu stated that the key priorities for the next stage of development include strengthening business deployment, continuing to focus on niche markets, and more fully tapping into the further growth potential of each product line. We are reprinting the full article below.

 

In 2021, as the global economy gradually recovered, China’s industrial market demonstrated unprecedented resilience and strength. Throughout the year, STEP leveraged the favorable environment of China’s industrial market to actively restructure its organizational framework and align with industry development trends, achieving unprecedented progress and performance. Undoubtedly, this success is closely linked to the outstanding management skills of its new leader, Mr. Wu Yuhui, his deep-rooted experience accumulated over many years in the industry, and his prior background as an executive at a leading industry player. In an interview with President Wu, when asked about STEP outstanding performance this year, he said that on the one hand, STEP boasts a very strong technological foundation and has remained true to its original commitment to R&D and innovation. On the other hand, the STEP team possesses exceptional qualities—such as courage in the face of challenges and unwavering perseverance—which are bound to make “achieving victory” a natural habit for this company. Next, it is crucial to deepen our business strategy, continue to exert strong efforts in niche segments, and more fully tap into the growth potential of each product line within STEPeng.

 

Mr. Wu Yuhui, Director and General Manager of Shanghai STEP Electric Co., Ltd.

 

Choose the track and reshape competitiveness.

 

“In 2021, STEP’s total sales volume surpassed the company’s historical high for the first time. One of the key reasons behind this milestone is that we chose the right growth track, enabling STEP to accelerate its high-quality development.” In the interview, General Manager Wu said, “Our country is stepping up efforts to promote intelligent manufacturing. Leveraging the favorable policies provided by the national government, STEP has achieved remarkable results across various sectors—including robotics, motion control, variable-frequency drives, and elevator applications.”

 

There’s no denying that the promotion of Elevator Cloud has reshaped the landscape of electrical control supply in the elevator industry. According to reports, STEP Elevator Cloud business has now completed a nationwide deployment covering 4,000 locations and has received high recognition from the industry, with multiple customer deliveries already achieved. Its core drive products and solutions have penetrated the top 10 customers in the industry, continuously enhancing brand awareness. The integrated development of motion control products has led to the creation of highly efficient solutions, expanding their applications across various industries, while its agency business continues to advance steadily. In the industrial robotics sector, the company has focused on developing scenario-specific applications, breaking new ground in industry adoption, and saw a substantial increase in shipments throughout 2021.

 

Shortages of raw materials, insufficient human resources, strained logistics, and extended delivery times—all these are tangible challenges we now face in the wake of the pandemic. These challenges have constrained the growth of many businesses. At this critical juncture, STEP has made a decisive choice on another front—achieving 90% domestic chip substitution. General Manager Wu stated: “From users to suppliers and then to chip manufacturers, the market has compelled us to quickly achieve mutual adaptation and build trust among all parties. And as it turns out, this was a wise choice—one that has not only created more opportunities but also strengthened our company’s voice and influence in the industry.”

 

For any company to achieve sustainable development, in addition to a solid strategic foundation, it must also have strong product and technological capabilities. To this end, STEP has clearly defined a new development direction and objectives: taking motion control technology as its core, it will focus on products such as servo drives, variable-frequency speed regulation, robots, and industrial controllers, while advancing digitalization and intelligentization to provide customers with high-quality, integrated smart manufacturing solutions.

 

 

Automotive Lifespan Testing

 

Business Focus: Customer-Centric

 

Under the pandemic, the previously relatively stable global industrial supply chains have been disrupted, while simultaneously accelerating the pace of industrial automation. How can we precisely synchronize with the rhythm of the times and act accordingly? In the face of the booming digital economy, how can we move forward in step with our customers? The answer from STEP is: Focus on customer-centric, profitable growth.

 

“Whether it’s integrating various departments within the company, adjusting the organizational structure, or optimizing work processes—our ultimate goal is to better align with user needs and respond proactively to rapidly changing markets. Relying on our comprehensive product lineup and robust technological support, creating greater value for our customers is both our driving force and our guiding principle.” General Wu firmly stated, “Reducing complexity in business expansion, moving R&D upstream, transforming technical capabilities into product strengths, focusing on application scenarios, and paying close attention to quality and customer experience are among the core priorities for STEP at present.” Meanwhile, the product’s quality itself and the customer experience are equally important. Meeting user needs and staying attuned to market trends are among the key factors that will enable STEP to gain industry recognition in the future. Looking ahead, China’s manufacturing sector will continue to have strong demand for automation, intelligence, and digitalization. As a result, STEP’s various product lines will keep innovating, accelerating R&D cycles, and deepening their application of advanced technologies, thereby laying a solid foundation for the arrival of a new market cycle.

 

Focusing on the present while keeping an eye on the future, China’s new economic development model and the implementation of multiple policies are creating new opportunities across numerous industries—including new energy, 5G, consumer electronics, and logistics. To seize these future market growth opportunities, it is essential for Mr. Wu, as a business leader, to possess keen market insights and make forward-looking, visionary decisions. General Manager Wu stated: “Developing products or solutions that meet customer needs and have sufficient market value is a key factor for a company’s sustainable growth.” Actively expanding into emerging, high-growth industries while continuing to deepen our expertise in areas where we already have many years of experience is one of the key reasons for STEP success. Smart logistics, food and beverage, automotive, new energy, and 3C electronics are the industries we will focus on in the future.

 

In 2022, STEP will... Customer-centric Under the guidance of our development strategy, we will focus on core business tracks and leading customers, deeply explore niche markets, integrate business units to create synergies, coordinate forward-looking product and technology planning, and implement a comprehensive global marketing strategy.

 

 

STEP Robot Factory

 

 

Smart Manufacturing Benchmark: Igniting New Momentum

 

In 2020, the Shanghai STEP Robot Superfactory, as the sole representative from Shanghai’s robotics industry, became one of the first 20 smart factories in Shanghai. In 2021, the superfactory once again made history by being the only robotics enterprise in China to be included on the list of 110 demonstration units for intelligent manufacturing in 2021—marking it as Shanghai’s first fully operational “robot-manufactured robot” smart factory.

 

According to General Manager Wu, the STEP Robot Superfactory has an annual production capacity of 10,000 industrial robots. All of the factory’s smart manufacturing projects are independently developed and integrated by STEP itself. These projects make extensive use of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, enabling intelligent and digital transformation throughout the entire manufacturing process. Since going into operation, the factory has significantly reduced its workforce by adopting robots on a large scale. 80% The first-pass yield of product testing has increased. 15% ; Through efficient and flexible automation technology, we have achieved... 10,000 units/year The designed production capacity, compared to previous manual operations, has seen an increase in output efficiency per unit area. 30% Above; by implementing a warehouse management system, the overall inventory level has decreased further on top of the existing lean inventory. 10%。

 

Since becoming the world’s largest robotics market in 2013, China’s robotics industry has experienced several consecutive years of rapid growth. While traditional robotic arms once dominated most of the market, robotic system solutions are now increasingly taking their place and emerging as the new market trend. It is no longer solely the value of industrial robots to replace human labor in performing repetitive tasks; rather, cross-industry integration and mutual penetration are driving a continuous surge in demand for robots. The application of intelligent sensing, vision, and other digital technologies is becoming standard equipment for robots. The STEP Robot Superfactory has adopted a large number of machine-learning, digitalization, and collaborative solutions, making it a benchmark factory in the robotics industry. As innovative products and technologies continue to be updated, the STEPeng Super Factory will also keep making ongoing investments, staying closely aligned with market demands, ensuring the highest levels of production efficiency and flexibility, and achieving the transition toward “Made in China 2.0.”

 

 

   Robots perform box palletizing.  

 

 

Closing remarks

 

The Chinese market has become a highly globalized and fiercely competitive marketplace. Whether multinational corporations or Chinese enterprises, everyone is competing on the same playing field and jointly striving for improvement. General Manager Wu stated: “If a company is competitive in the Chinese market, it will certainly be competitive in the global market. The Chinese market has evolved from being a follower in the international marketplace to becoming a co-leader, and it continues to develop at a rapid pace. Therefore, in the next step, STEP’s globalization strategy will be gradually implemented, and becoming a globally leading industrial brand is our unwavering goal.”

 

Along with the profound changes in the industrial market, in the future, STEP is committed to “focusing on core business and putting customers first.” Not only do we provide customers with our core “flagship” products, but we also drive industrial upgrades through agile innovation, collaborate more deeply with partners for mutual success, and empower the advancement of China’s intelligent manufacturing.

 

Email:
market@stepelectric.com

Address:
No. 1560, Siyi Road, Jiading District, Shanghai Municipality