Media Interview | Establishing a Presence in Beijing: WAYEAL’s National Strategy and the Road to a 10 Billion Vision by 2030

In 2003, an instrument company focusing on leak detection instruments was founded in Hefei, Anhui. After 20 years of ups and downs, this company established its first branch in Beijing, entering a new stage of development. During this extraordinary journey, WAYEAL not only expanded its business territory but also established four major product systems: industrial intelligence, industry and environment, laboratory analytical instruments, and life sciences. It successfully listed on the Sci-Tech Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, becoming one of the first companies in China's scientific instrument industry to achieve this milestone. 
Now standing at a new starting point, WAYEAL is poised to encounter fresh opportunities and challenges. How will it preserve its previous development strengths and chart its future course? With these queries in mind, the Chemical Instrument Network conducted a special interview with Ms. Chen Yanfeng, General Manager of the Market and Brand Center and General Manager of the Beijing branch, to mark the establishment of WAYEAL's Beijing branch. In this exclusive interview, we jointly reflect on WAYEAL's growth, explore its future development blueprint, and anticipate its continued success in the new journey. 

Establishing a branch in Beijing: Taking a step in the north to create a new situation

Our twenties are marked by vigor and vitality, making it the best age. From the perspective of the enterprise, it is also a period of significant development. How can our enterprise continue to thrive in the future? A strategic layout for both domestic and international business is essential. Domestically, a crucial element of our strategy is the establishment of our Beijing branch." When introducing the purpose, positioning, and responsibilities of WAYEAL's Beijing branch, Chen Yanfeng stated. 

As the political and cultural center of the country and a hub for technological innovation, Beijing gathers numerous government agencies, renowned universities and research institutions, research organizations, laboratories, and technology transfer institutions. This is not only a sensitive area for policy trends but also a rich resource for technology. By establishing a branch office, WAYEAL will collaborate more closely with the government and research institutions, grasp the latest technological trends, obtain cutting-edge technical support, and promote the company's technological advancement and industrial upgrading. 

In terms of strategic layout, the Beijing branch is also responsible for the business expansion of WAYEAL in the northern region and plays a key role in customer service. Beijing is the center of the northern region, and the establishment of the Beijing branch will facilitate smoother communication between WAYEAL and northern customers, enabling quicker responses to market changes and customer needs, and providing faster and more efficient services. Additionally, the Beijing branch will work in tandem with the Hefei headquarters, forming a strategic linkage across the country and further expanding WAYEAL's influence nationwide. 

Dual-driven development promotes growth, while diversified layout seeks stability and success.

Reflecting on more than twenty years of development, Chen Yanfeng attributes WAYEAL's success to two key factors: first, technology-driven R&D; second, a strong emphasis on customer experience. These two points together form the core concept of "Quality WAYEAL, Service WAYEAL." 

Independent R&D is ingrained in the DNA of WAYEAL. Since its establishment, WAYEAL has prioritized technological research and innovation, continuously increasing its R&D investment, especially after going public. In recent years, the proportion of R&D investment to revenue has remained around 20%, providing strong support for the company's product development and business growth. The R&D team also remains a key focus of the company. Currently, WAYEAL has over 1,300 employees, including more than 500 R&D personnel (as of June 2023), accounting for nearly 40%, with half holding master's or doctoral degrees. These high-end talents infuse WAYEAL with strong internal momentum, creating a solid foundation for the company's sustainable business development. 

In the fierce market competition，WAYEAL always adheres to a customer-oriented approach, viewing customer experience as the key to maintaining its competitive advantage. From product development to production delivery, and then to after-sales service, WAYEAL is always based on customer needs and experiences. During the product development phase, WAYEAL takes the difficulties and pain points of customers as the direction for R&D, aiming to address the practical needs of customers in developing products and technical solutions. Each link from product development to production delivery has a dedicated person in charge, with internal documentation and written organization to minimize the occurrence of problems internally. Regarding after-sales service, WAYEAL has developed a comprehensive system that includes 8-hour response times, 24-hour on-site service, and a three-tier service team. "Our overall actions revolve around customer needs, addressing their difficulties and pain points through our instruments," stated Chen Yanfeng. 

With a dual focus on quality and service, WAYEAL is advancing rapidly. Despite the changing international landscape and the ongoing impact of the post-pandemic era in 2023, which have resulted in significant market operational pressures and numerous industry companies falling into losses, WAYEAL, under the leadership of Chairman Mr. Zang Mu, has achieved remarkable results. Business revenue continues to grow healthily, thanks to the company's diversified business layout strategy. 

In addition to industrial intelligent leak detection, WAYEAL's product line also includes industrial and environmental products, analytical instruments, and life sciences. In the past five years, the country's continuous investment in the environmental sector has driven the rapid development of industrial and environmental-related businesses, laying a foundation for WAYEAL's performance growth. In 2023, facing the tightening of national investment in the environmental sector, WAYEAL quickly seized the rapid development opportunities in the new energy and new energy vehicle sectors, not only providing standard industrial intelligent leak detection equipment but also offering comprehensive solutions including tooling and specialized machines, thus enabling rapid growth in the industrial leak detection business. In addition, the analytical instruments sector has also made phased progress, with both ion chromatography and liquid chromatography products achieving good growth, making significant contributions to the company's laboratory analytical instrument business. 

In 2023, WAYEAL introduced several innovative products, including the IC6300 series intelligent ion chromatograph, LCMS-TQ9200 triple quadrupole liquid mass spectrometry system, TOF2000 atmospheric VOCs multi-component dynamic monitoring instrument, VM1750 environmental air volatile organic compounds continuous monitoring system, and InDrop digital PCR system. These additions span the fields of analytical instruments, environmental monitoring, and life sciences. Once the new products were launched, they received enthusiastic market response and high praise, fully demonstrating WAYEAL's foresight and sensitivity in technological innovation and market layout. 

With dual guarantees of quality and service, the diversified layout has brought WAYEAL a stronger ability to resist risks, allowing it to navigate through challenges more steadily. 

The product leadership strategy propels a dual advancement in the product brand 

In 2023, WAYEAL defined "product leadership" as its core competitive strategy. The company also clarified the meaning of the "product leadership strategy" and developed the philosophy, implementation path, and methods to achieve product leadership. Product leadership is not just about surpassing a single indicator or performance; it is a systematic project that should be "customer demand-centered," using "effectively solving customer problems" as the guiding direction. Therefore, product development needs to be more closely integrated with the market, deeply understanding customer identities, uncovering their pain points, and grasping their real needs in order to provide targeted solutions. This signifies that R&D efforts are not confined to the laboratory but also necessitate close interaction with customers on the front lines. 

In terms of products, WAYEAL has set a goal for itself: to be able to compete comprehensively with imported brands in the field of analytical instruments within the next few years. This also means that WAYEAL needs to accelerate the pace of product development, ensuring that products are launched on time and gain widespread market recognition. To this end, WAYEAL has formulated a three-year plan. In 2024, mainstream product lines of analytical instruments, including GC, GCMS, LC, LCMS, as well as consumables for liquid chromatography and ion chromatography, will be fully launched. 

Chen Yanfeng stated: "We always say we should look up at the stars while keeping our feet on the ground. We've set a very ambitious goal, and we will work together toward achieving it." She firmly believes that through steady, step-by-step efforts, continuing to increase product R&D, and closely interacting with customers to understand their needs and develop targeted solutions, they will undoubtedly achieve their goals. 

An important evaluation criterion for product leadership is commercial success, which is closely related to brand strategy. The essence of WAYEAL's brand strategy is "internal growth and external expansion." This approach not only emphasizes delivering value to clients but also focuses on enhancing internal capabilities, including overall behavioral norms, products, and services. "We can use a tree as a metaphor; the deeper the roots, the larger the crown. It can also be likened to the tip of an iceberg; what everyone sees is actually just the tip, while much more lies beneath the surface." 

2023 marks the 20th anniversary of WAYEAL's establishment and the inaugural year of brand development—the official establishment of the WAYEAL Market and Brand Center. This year, the company's brand has undergone a renewal and upgrade, adopting a new VI system and proposing the brand concept of "More Reliable, Shared Long-term". Additionally, WAYEAL has strengthened its market promotion, allowing various sectors of society to hear the voice of WAYEAL.

In 2024, as the team building of the Market and Brand Center gradually improves and work strategies become clearer, WAYEAL will continue to uphold the brand concept of "more reliable, together for the long term", focusing on customer needs, enhancing market and customer demand insights, and collaborating with product development for new product development. Additionally, it will further strengthen the market promotion of new products, allowing more people to understand WAYEAL. Moreover, WAYEAL will enhance its connections with customers and experts, analyze the pain points of segmented markets, and transform user issues into instruments and solutions for everyone, promoting high-quality development in the scientific instrument industry and other related sectors. 

Charting a blueprint worth 10 billions, aiming for the global analytical instrument market. 

Regarding long-term strategic planning, Chen Yanfeng revealed WAYEAL's grand vision - "By 2030, WAYEAL will reach a valuation of 10 billion", aiming to establish WAYEAL as a professional supplier of precision scientific instruments globally. So, how can this grand blueprint be realized? 

WAYEAL is leveraging its own business and providing strong momentum for the company's future growth through diversified layouts. Industrial intelligent leak detection and industrial and environmental sectors serve as the solid foundation for WAYEAL's development. Analytical instruments, as the second growth curve, have achieved remarkable results in 2023. Additionally, life sciences, as a new business segment, launched significant new products in 2023, injecting new vitality into the company's development. In the future, WAYEAL will increase its investment in life sciences and medical device product lines, cultivating new growth points to contribute to the company's sustained prosperity. 

In addition, WAYEAL is gradually transforming from an instrument manufacturer to a provider of comprehensive industry solutions. Whether in lithium batteries, new energy, smart environmental protection, water quality tracing, or in industries such as disease control and pesticides, WAYEAL is committed to providing comprehensive and efficient solutions. WAYEAL hopes to truly help customers solve problems, develop together, and achieve a win-win situation. 

"As the tides rise in the Wanjiang, we advance with determination and strength. Embracing new opportunities, we embark on a 10-billion journey." At the WAYEAL 2024 annual meeting, Chairman Mr. Zang Mu expressed his expectations for the company's development with this statement at the end of his speech. A new chapter in 2024 has already begun. Standing at this historic new starting point with the establishment of the Beijing branch, let us witness the future development of WAYEAL together. 

Group photo of the WAYEAL market and brand center & Beijing branch

(partial personnel)