Chen Xuepeng – Exclusive Interview with Shared Procurement Alliance: Nineteen Years of Dedicated Commitment to Building a Global Supply Chain Business Ecosystem

The Shared Procurement Alliance is one of China's most influential procurement communities, connecting 60,000 procurement professionals with over 100,000 supplier enterprises; its branches span more than a dozen Chinese cities and extend to Vietnam and Thailand. The community originated from a QQ group founded by its founder, Chen Xuepeng, in 2007 while he was engaged in procurement at Foxconn. Over nineteen years of development, this group has evolved into a comprehensive supply chain ecosystem. As an alliance member, the editorial team at SLKORIC Semiconductor (www.slkoric.com) visited the alliance's headquarters this time to speak with Chen Xuepeng and hear about the journey that transformed this QQ group into an industry-wide platform.

 

Chen Xuepeng, Founder of Shared Procurement Alliance

 

Growth: From QQ Groups to the "Procurement Community"

The idea of founding the Shared Procurement Alliance stemmed from a common challenge faced by procurement professionals: the lack of sufficient professional networks and resource channels at work, as well as the absence of a genuine platform for peer-to-peer learning among industry colleagues. Chen Xuepeng's initial vision was simple: to create a community where procurement professionals could expand their networks, access resources, and support one another. This concept laid the foundation for the establishment of the alliance.



For the first ten years, the platform operated entirely on a non-profit basis—without any revenue model or full-time team—relying instead on weekly in-person networking events, industry forums, and outdoor activities to bring everyone together. Back then, the bonds between members were the most genuine; there were no financial interests involved—they were simply friends. Today, the alliance boasts over 600 WeChat groups, and the original group of "small procurement professionals" has grown into procurement managers and procurement directors; this trust, cultivated over nearly two decades, has become the platform's most valuable asset.

 

Chen Xuepeng during an interview

 

The Alliance has operated for nearly two decades, and its "customer stickiness" is its core competitive advantage, setting it apart from other platforms. Chen Xuepeng noted that many platforms cease operations after just two or three years—often due to the phenomenon of "lacking internal resources and relying solely on acquiring new customers." From the outset, the Alliance has adopted a buyer-centric approach, building a "Procurement Community" that fosters a strong sense of ownership among its members. More importantly, he has placed great emphasis on maintaining a positive reputation and has consistently resisted all short-term temptations to "sell members' personal data" over the years.

 

Shared Procurement Alliance members visit Sako Micro

 

This steadfast commitment has fostered exceptionally strong user loyalty. The alliance charges virtually no fees—aside from training sessions, all other activities and resource matchmaking events are completely free. Every week, training workshops, resource matchmaking meetings, and industry forums continue to take place in cities including Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Huizhou; additionally, more than a dozen badminton clubs and public speaking clubs operate seamlessly. As an enterprise member of the alliance, Sako Microelectronics is also actively involved – the alliance once hosted a forum at Sako Microelectronics' (www.slkoric.com) Shenzhen headquarters, where dozens of procurement professionals visited the company to hear technical experts explain their products and discuss industry trends, to an enthusiastic response from the attendees.

 

 

Breaking Free: From a Public Welfare Community to an Industrial Ecosystem

 

With over a decade of experience in procurement, Chen Xuepeng observed that the entire industry was largely composed of professionals who had switched careers into this field. Society generally perceived procurement as a role lacking technical expertise; as a result, some business owners preferred to hire relatives for the procurement position rather than appoint a professional. Moreover, young professionals genuinely interested in learning about procurement found themselves without any guidance upon joining a company, while experienced employees were often unwilling to mentor them, and there was no dedicated procurement program offered at universities. Consequently, in 2011, he began offering procurement training programs.

 

The Shared Procurement Alliance hosted its inaugural Advanced Procurement Skills Training Workshop.

 

The training curriculum is entirely designed around real-world application – the Beginner Level is tailored for procurement specialists, the Intermediate Level is geared toward procurement engineers, and the Advanced Level is designed for procurement managers and directors; additionally, there are specialized courses delving into each type of raw material – including hardware, plastics, packaging, batteries, PCBs, and chips – covering material composition, manufacturing processes, and market trends. The alliance currently boasts over 70 instructors, most of whom come from frontline supply chain roles at major corporations such as Foxconn, TCL, and ZTE. With over a decade to two decades of extensive experience and a deep understanding of standardized management systems, these instructors deliver content ranging from basic orientation and work reporting to departmental coordination and exception handling – all based on genuine, hands-on experience gained through real-world practice.

 

Shared Procurement Alliance – Electronic Materials Industry Resource Matching Hub

 

The training program has taken root, and the alliance has begun expanding beyond its original scope. As the manufacturing sector shifts toward Southeast Asia, the alliance took the lead in establishing branch offices in Bac Ninh, Vietnam, and Rayong, Thailand; Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Singapore have also attracted a large number of Chinese enterprises. Chen Xuepeng noted that when investing in and setting up factories in Vietnam, over 30% of raw materials must be sourced locally to qualify for tariff incentives – enterprises new to the market often find themselves navigating this landscape without prior knowledge – and we serve as their resource guide. Currently, Vietnam hosts more than a dozen WeChat groups comprising around 5,000–6,000 enterprises, while the Thai branch has gathered over a thousand companies.

 

Chen Xuepeng and the Wuhan Branch of the Alliance take their first joint photo together.

 

After 2017, Chen Xuepeng began full-time management of the Shared Procurement Alliance, embarking on the exploration of sustainable business models. He successively launched training programs, introduced corporate membership services, and expanded exhibition support offerings. In 2026, he added two new self-sustaining initiatives: first, centralized procurement – consolidating the purchasing needs of small enterprises into a larger pool to leverage the collective volume for better pricing negotiations with upstream suppliers, thereby helping these enterprises reduce costs; second, deep member integration – empowering procurement professionals within the platform to serve as key promoters for corporate members, facilitating the seamless flow of both procurement and sales activities within the platform.

 

Shared Procurement Alliance participates in the 2023 International New Materials Exhibition

Even more promising are the B2B Industrial Internet Platform, currently under development, and the newly established Supply Chain AI Application Research Institute. In his view, over the next three to five years, AI will penetrate every industry and every profession; "If we don't embrace AI, we will be left behind by those who do." Once the new platform goes live, the entire procurement process – from publishing purchase requests and receiving supplier responses to matching orders – will be fully digitized and visualized, overcoming the current limitations imposed by reliance on WeChat groups and Excel spreadsheets.



Root System: The Commercial Tree – Deeply Embedded in Social Soil


While the alliance continuously strives for commercial breakthroughs, it has never forgotten to take deep root among the local communities. Since 2014, it has provided one-on-one financial assistance to nearly 300 impoverished students, offering them an annual grant of RMB 2,000 until they graduate from university, covering regions including Xizang, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei. Chen Xuepeng often personally leads the teams; he has once driven over 6,000 kilometers across multiple provinces to visit the students receiving this aid in person.

 

Shared Procurement Alliance visits children with special needs

Additionally, the alliance organizes annual outreach activities—including visits to nursing homes, tours of orphanages, and donations to rural primary schools—such as providing multimedia blackboards, football fields, water heaters, and fans—and even celebrates Children's Day together with the children. During this year's "520 Outdoor Cleanliness Day," Chen Xuepeng took his son along to collect litter; in his view, leading by example is the best form of education for children.

 

Chen Xuepeng led a team to the school to spend Children's Day with the children.

 

Off the Field: The Other Side of Chen Xuepeng

Upon entering Chen Xuepeng's office, one finds a record player and a guitar standing quietly in a corner. After wrapping up his league-related duties, he often picks up his guitar and plays for a while—singing a few songs during a live stream to unwind—or occasionally joins friends for a musical performance in the park or accepts a performance invitation. This is both an entrance to his musical world and an external manifestation of his inner passion for music.

 

Chen Xuepeng and his friends were performing on tour.

 

When mentioning his hometown of Yongzhou, Hunan, Chen Xuepeng said with evident pride: "Last year, the Yongzhou team defeated the Changde team 1–0 to claim the championship title in the inaugural Hunan Super League." During the tournament, he set up an advertising banner in his hometown that read, "Though I live in Shenzhen, my heart remains with my hometown." Even though he couldn't make it back to watch the matches in person, he promoted Yongzhou's cultural and tourism offerings on his WeChat Moments and short-video platforms, hoping that more people would learn about and visit Yongzhou.

 

Shared Procurement Alliance celebrates its 18th anniversary

 

Over the past 19 years, "Resource Sharing, Connecting the World" has evolved from a mere slogan into a platform bringing together 60,000 procurement professionals and over 100,000 supplier enterprises. Chen Xuepeng stated that his future goal is to build a global supply chain business ecosystem based on this foundation. However, the core mission remains unchanged: to guide the procurement profession toward healthy development and to make resource connectivity more efficient – a mission he has always been committed to fulfilling. Currently, the semiconductor teams at Kinghelm (www.kinghelm.net) and SKORIC (www.slkoric.com) have gradually integrated into the ecosystem established by the Shared Procurement Alliance and have identified their own value within this network. Mr.Song Shiqiang wishes the Shared Procurement Alliance continued success and thriving growth!