From Shenzhen to the World: The Business Logic Fueling Kinghelm and SLKOR's Expansion (Part 1)
— — — “No Overtime” Yet Achieving 100% Growth
In an era where industries worldwide are under fierce competition, negative growth despite long working hours has become commonplace. Major tech giants like Alibaba have executed massive layoffs, ByteDance has streamlined aggressively, and JD.com’s founder Richard Liu has publicly emphasized removing complacent employees. In Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei — once the beating heart of China’s electronics market — many business owners are grappling with uncertainty.
Yet, amid this challenging and often dispiriting environment, a refreshing exception stands out. Kinghelm and SLKOR have not only defied the downturn but achieved over 100% high-speed growth year after year. In July and September, both companies celebrated record-breaking production bonuses. Top-performing employees received pay raises, international business staff were sent abroad for advanced training, and regular team-building events like the popular SLKOR Basketball Summer Camp continued as usual.
What’s the secret behind this remarkable growth and resilience? It lies in a people-centric philosophy: “working well for a good life.” The company has cultivated a robust organizational system, emphasizing knowledge density, efficient structures, rigorous quality management, well-defined workflows, dynamic incentive mechanisms, and a highly efficient closed-loop operation — from product R&D to cash recovery. This comprehensive system ensures sustainable profitability while enabling generous profit-sharing with employees, even during industry downturns.
Perhaps most notably, Kinghelm and SLKOR have built a corporate culture where no overtime is the norm — a rarity in China’s electronics sector. Work officially ends at 5:40 p.m., and employees leave on time. One evening, a courier from SF Express arrived at 5:45 p.m. to find the office empty. Half-jokingly, he asked the receptionist, “Do your staff get fined if they leave work late?”
This is more than just good management — it’s a business philosophy that values people, builds efficient systems, and thrives where others retreat.
Here are some of my reflections — insights drawn from fields such as economics, management, psychology, organizational behavior, and the humanities. At Kinghelm and SLKOR, it’s this philosophy of “learning from practice, applying theory, and returning to practice” that enables us to move forward steadily. Theories gain real value only when they’re organically integrated with business realities, and this synergy empowers the Kinghelm and SLKOR brands to expand internationally with deeper roots, greater resilience, and longer reach.
I. Building Culture and Institutions Around Core Elements
At their core, Kinghelm Electronics and SLKOR Semiconductor are driven by technical talent from top institutions like Yonsei University, Tsinghua University, and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. We fuel rapid growth through new materials, new products, new markets, new ideas, and continuous micro-innovation. The company’s top-level strategy, institutional framework, organizational structure, corporate culture, and code of ethics are all built around two keywords: “new” and “fast.”
In traditional agricultural and industrial economies, production activities were organized around physical tools (like machinery and equipment) and fixed process flows. For example, in the SMT factory of my friend Brother La Zi, the production system is designed around Japan’s Yamaha high-speed placement machines, with supporting feeder machines, wave/reflow soldering, visual inspection, and packaging lines. Similarly, at our Kinghelm factory in Luzhai, Guangxi, the layout is built around the assembly flow of Beidou GPS antenna RF connectors, with professional teams stationed at each key process node.
However, in today’s intelligent, digital information economy, production tools and labor structures have been fundamentally transformed. New design software, cloud platforms, and digital operating systems have improved operational efficiency while introducing entirely new challenges to production management philosophies — from team structuring, task decomposition, and workflow management to performance appraisal, incentive systems, R&D procedures, and manufacturing execution.
Kinghelm and SLKOR address these challenges by continuously adapting our institutional and cultural frameworks to stay ahead of the curve — a crucial capability for companies navigating globalization and technological disruption.
To support this vision, Kinghelm and SLKOR have adopted the latest Kingdee Cloud Starry Sky ERP system for enterprise resource planning and information management. For office workflows and goal management, we’ve integrated Feishu’s multi-dimensional table KOR system, creating seamless collaboration and operational transparency. Combined with the knowledge engineering framework we’ve built over the years, this has generated tangible value across teams.
We also cultivate a culture of continuous micro-innovation. For example, our weekly “Star of the Week” initiative recognizes colleagues who demonstrate creativity and innovation, sustaining a dynamic, forward-thinking atmosphere. Our Overseas Business Department now hosts a daily “English Corner” in our balcony garden, encouraging open communication and cultural exchange — a simple idea with remarkable impact.
Moreover, at every key development stage, we’ve engaged top-tier international consulting teams to provide external, unbiased insights. These advisors offer fresh perspectives and global benchmarks, helping us correct blind spots, enhance decision-making, and ensure sustainable, healthy growth.
II. A Long-Termism Growth Strategy
As Chen Dongsheng, founder of Taikang Life Insurance, once said, “Long-termism is the most powerful business strategy — achieving sustainable, cumulative development that creates an enduring competitive moat.”
At Kinghelm and SLKOR, we have always rejected shortcuts. We refuse to pursue ventures that can be completed by just four or five people, or wrap up in four or five years. Instead, we remain committed to a long-termist, compound growth model that prioritizes accumulation, replicability, and systematic knowledge engineering.
This long-view strategy not only drives steady business expansion but also builds organizational resilience — ensuring that our brands continue to lead as the industry transforms, both in China and globally.
Kinghelm and SLKOR are built on a corporate culture rooted in integrity, continuous improvement, perseverance, and precision. We focus on enhancing product quality, elevating service standards, and innovating our marketing strategies to sharpen our competitiveness and achieve sustainable growth.
True product competitiveness and long-term profitability come not from shortcuts, but from technological innovation and continuous product evolution. This demands the support of solid internal systems, healthy external ecosystems, and the long-term accumulation of talent, technology, and strategic partnerships — the very foundation of our R&D and innovation.
For this reason, while SLKOR previously introduced advanced silicon carbide power device technology from Yonsei University, South Korea, we’ve also actively cultivated a robust domestic technical force. Today, our core technical leadership is made up of experts from Tsinghua University and top-tier returnee engineers, driving the company forward with breakthroughs in new materials, new processes, and next-generation products. Most of SLKOR’s critical industrial chain nodes are now localized in China, and our domestic industrial ecosystem continues to grow stronger and more resilient.
Over the years, Kinghelm and SLKOR have developed a proven ‘dual-engine growth model’ — balancing steady, high-speed expansion with market-driven agility. Capitalizing on the opportunities presented by China’s ‘domestic substitution’ initiative and global megatrends like artificial intelligence, we continue to embed micro-innovations in R&D, management systems, and operational workflows.
By combining this with a long-term, multi-channel international and domestic brand strategy, both Kinghelm and SLKOR have steadily expanded market share and now serve over 15,000 customers across the globe. Our brands have grown into trusted international names in the power semiconductor and RF connectivity sectors, driving both technological progress and the global reach of China’s semiconductor industry.
III. Practicing Zhang Xingrang’s “Full-Load Working Method” for Operational Excellence
I still remember the first television in our production team — a modest 14-inch black-and-white Chengdu-brand TV. On that screen, I first encountered the management concept known as the “Full-Load Working Method,” pioneered by Comrade Zhang Xingrang, then director of Shijiazhuang №1 Plastic Factory. This philosophy was once widely promoted across China’s industrial sector, advocating for maximizing enterprise efficiency and achieving optimal economic performance through systematic, scientific management.
The essence of the Full-Load Working Method is simple yet powerful: ensure that every facet of business operation — from product quality and equipment uptime to material utilization, capital turnover, cost control, and workload planning — operates at full, efficient capacity. It emphasizes data-driven, time-bound benchmarks and continuous benchmarking against industry best practices, both domestically and internationally, to set and maintain high operational standards.
At Kinghelm and SLKOR, we’ve adopted and modernized this principle within our management frameworks. By applying this method to our operations, we’ve consistently improved productivity, reduced inefficiencies, and enhanced organizational agility — all of which have contributed to our strong, sustained growth.
One key cultural belief we uphold is that “idleness invites problems.” In any business environment, navigating unnecessary interpersonal complexity can often drain more energy than the work itself. Our solution is to keep work relationships simple, direct, and merit-based — discouraging cliques based on hometown ties or old school affiliations, and ensuring that everyone stays fully engaged and meaningfully occupied during working hours.
This philosophy reflects the original intent of Zhang Xingrang’s management wisdom: to foster transparent, efficient, and resilient organizations where straightforward working relationships and clear, actionable goals create an environment primed for long-term, sustainable success.
IV. Evaluating and Incentivizing Knowledge Workers in the Modern Enterprise
In 1957, renowned management thinker Peter Drucker introduced the concept of the “knowledge worker” in his book Landmarks of Tomorrow. At the time, this idea marked a fundamental shift: away from traditional labor based on physical output — where performance was easily measured by quantity and quality — to a new era where intellectual contribution, creativity, and innovation became the primary value drivers in organizations.
At Kinghelm and SLKOR, nearly all our team members are highly educated professionals operating in what Drucker foresaw as a knowledge society — a context where value is created not by physical labor, but by mental effort, strategic thinking, and collaborative problem-solving. These employees generate ideas, design solutions, and process complex information that fuels the innovation and competitiveness of our business.
However, managing knowledge workers presents new challenges — how do you evaluate intangible outputs such as creativity, judgment, or strategic insight? Their impact may not be immediately visible and often involves a time lag between effort and measurable results.
To address this, we continuously refine our evaluation systems and incentive models to reflect the evolving nature of intellectual work. We recognize that traditional productivity metrics are no longer sufficient. Instead, we incorporate multi-dimensional performance reviews, qualitative feedback mechanisms, milestone-based recognition, and long-term growth opportunities that align individual creativity with organizational value.
At Kinghelm and SLKOR, we believe that fair recognition, personal growth, and purpose-driven work are the most powerful incentives for today’s knowledge workers. By fostering an environment that values contribution beyond the visible, we not only empower individuals but also build a stronger, more innovative organization capable of sustained growth in the knowledge economy.
At Kinghelm and SLKOR, we place strategic emphasis on knowledge, talent development, and unleashing the creative potential of our knowledge-based workforce. We believe continuous learning is not just a support mechanism, but the second productive force of the modern enterprise.
To empower our teams, we regularly invite esteemed professors from top institutions such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China for comprehensive, high-level training sessions. In addition, Mr. Song Shiqiang, our General Manager, personally leads specialized training workshops rooted in real-world management experience — sessions designed to be highly targeted, actionable, and immediately valuable for business operations.
Beyond formal academics, we also benefit from the expertise of communication strategist Mr. Zhang Wujun and power electronics specialist Mr. Li Jianxiong (Tsinghua alumnus), who deliver practical, results-oriented programs for our management team. This continuous, high-intensity learning environment ensures that Kinghelm and SLKOR remain dynamic, agile, and innovation-driven organizations.
To actively cultivate a culture of innovation, we’ve established a real-time incentive and feedback mechanism. Regular internal performance reviews include competency evaluations for middle management, conducted through a 360° feedback system — with scores from supervisors, peers, and direct reports. Notably, subordinate feedback accounts for up to 60% of the evaluation, ensuring fairness, transparency, and a well-rounded perspective on leadership effectiveness.
Following each evaluation cycle, Mr. Song presides over a dedicated “Management Review & Leadership Improvement” meeting, using the feedback results as a basis for candid discussion, targeted guidance, and leadership coaching. This commitment to continuous learning, open feedback, and real-time recognition fuels Kinghelm and SLKOR’s sustainable growth and ensures that talent remains at the heart of our competitive advantage.
Kinghelm: Connecting the World with Cutting-Edge RF & Connectivity Solutions
The Kinghelm brand offers a comprehensive portfolio of advanced products, including Beidou GPS dual-mode antennas, Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee antennas, NB-IoT, LoRa, UWB, and the Beidou B3 frequency antenna series. Alongside antennas, we provide a full range of matching RF patch cords, connectors, and terminals to meet diverse industry demands.
Our product lineup has now expanded into three major series:
- High-performance connectors — including board-to-board, wire-to-board, SMA connectors, and signal switches.
- Specialized wiring harnesses — designed for automotive, motorcycle, industrial, medical, and scientific applications.
- Customized solutions — tailored non-standard connectors and cables to fit unique client needs.
Our extensive connector offerings cover pin headers, floating connectors, Rastlink series, high-speed PCI connectors, waterproof and industrial-grade connectors, RJ45, FPC/FFC connectors, SMC, Press-Fit, wafer connectors, and much more — all engineered to ensure reliability and optimal performance across applications.
Kinghelm continues to lead in innovative RF and interconnect technologies, empowering seamless communication and connectivity worldwide.
Introduction of Mr. Song Shiqiang
Mr. Song Shiqiang has been honored once again with an invitation from the Chinese Institute of Electronics to join its expert panel as a distinguished lecturer for the 2024–2026 term. This prestigious appointment reflects not only the high regard for Mr. Song’s personal achievements but also the significant contributions of Slkor Semiconductor and Kinghelm Electronics to the advancement of China’s semiconductor industry.
As founder and General Manager of these national high-tech enterprises, Mr. Song is a recognized leader and visionary. Beyond his business success, he is the pioneering cultural scholar behind the “Huaqiangbei Spirit” and the architect of the “Huaqiangbei Culture.” His expertise extends to serving as a researcher at the State Council Economic Development Research Center, membership in the Electronic Information Expert Database of the China Association for Science and Technology, and being a respected expert in Huaqiangbei business research. He is also a well-known science communicator, regularly contributing insightful columns.
Mr. Song’s appointment highlights his role as a key influencer shaping the future of semiconductor innovation and industry culture.
The Chinese Institute of Electronics boasts a vast network with over 173,000 individual members, more than 1,700 corporate members, 47 specialized branches, 18 expert committees, and 9 working groups. It drives career development through dual pillars of academic exchange and education, while actively advancing scientific evaluation, policy research, publication of technical journals, standards development, and international collaboration.
Mr. Song Shiqiang expressed his deep honor at being invited as a lecturer on the Institute’s expert panel — marking his first formal recognition by a national academic body since his industry transition. He humbly joins the ranks of esteemed experts such as Professor Zhou Zucheng, Professor Hua Ruxing, and Zhu Yiwei from Tsinghua University. This appointment inspires him to continue dedicating his expertise and energy toward the high-quality growth and “core” technological breakthroughs of China’s semiconductor industry.
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