By Jin Lu

From January to May this year, Ningbo's renowned stationery producer Beifa Group Co., Ltd. saw a 40% year-on-year increase in sales and a 100% increase in profits. "Beifa Group has been dedicated to the educational and office supplies industry for 30 years, focusing on technological innovation, implementing innovative marketing models, and cultivating talent, steadily progressing on the path of high-quality development," said Qiu Zhiming, Chairman of Beifa Group.

Founded in 1994, Beifa Group began as a small pen-making workshop with only 30 employees in Beilun District, Ningbo. Today, the company boasts 1.5 billion users worldwide, over 100,000 retail partners, more than 1,000 major clients and distributors, and over 100 online and offline sales channels. Its products are sold in over 200 countries and regions. These achievements have led to Beifa being recognized as a national level "sector champion" in manufacturing.

Intense R&D for Each Pen

Upon entering Beifa Group's product showroom, the gel pen with fast-drying ink technology takes center stage. Developed over five years, this pen stands out among the company's 1,500 products, driving sales growth. Despite its ordinary appearance, it delivers smooth writing, with ink that dries instantly upon contact with paper, effectively preventing smudging.

The production of a gel pen, though small in size, involves a series of intricate processes. These include advanced plastic technology, precision mold manufacturing, fine chemical processing, eco-friendly spraying techniques, and flexible production methods. "After extensive research, the company has succeeded in achieving the uniform fusion of water and oil," said Sun Yinghong, Beifa Group's technical director. The research team undertook nearly a thousand material tests to develop a chemical microcapsule that ensures stable and uniform blending of water and oil.

In addition to product innovation, Beifa Group is advancing the automation and digitalization of its production lines. "Previously, the cost of a single process in pen-making ranged from 0.008 to 0.015 yuan, and manual assembly cost over 0.1 yuan per pen," noted Sun. With extensive digital reforms, the company now utilizes automated equipment for molds, injection molding, packaging, and other processes, reducing labor costs from over 0.1 yuan to just over 0.01 yuan per pen.

In the pen-making workshop, only a few workers are needed to oversee dozens of high-speed machines that continuously produce components for processing and assembly. As pen tubes enter the automatic assembly machine, processes like ink filling, nib fitting, and cap attaching are performed automatically, resulting in a completed pen at the end of the assembly line.

Last year, Beifa Group invested over 30 million yuan in R&D to drive technological advances, adjust product structures, and facilitate corporate transformation. The company currently employs 150 R&D personnel and holds 666 valid patents, launching nearly 150 new pen models annually.

Empowering Sales with Hybrid Marketing

"We can't afford to sit still and wait!" declared Qiu upon returning from a market research trip to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and several other countries, where he visited companies pertinent to the stationery industry.

Starting this year, Beifa Group will concentrate on brand development, leveraging its R&D and manufacturing prowess. "We aim to establish 30 supply chain centers and engage 3,000 designated suppliers overseas within three years. Our goal is to reach 30,000 B2B SME clients, supply 5 million retail locations, and impact 5 billion people," stated Qiu.

Beifa Group will also establish brand centers in eight Southeast Asian countries, extending its products and services to major clients and retailers in each nation.

Beifa Group acknowledges the ever-changing market dynamics and the importance of collaborative development. Harnessing digital technology, the company launched the "Wenqiku" hybrid retail platform, which transforms artists' innovative designs into attractive stationery products available both online and offline. This platform uses advanced digital marketing strategies to connect global customers with a wide array of products, providing its partners in the creative industry with diverse sales solutions. So far, the "Wenqiku" platform has generated over 1 billion yuan in total sales, with more than 430,000 users, and has supported hundreds of SMEs in the culture and creative industry.

Earlier this year, Beifa Group launched the Beifa Global Supply Chain app to facilitate direct connections between small manufacturers of stationery, gifts, and merchandise with global SME clients. The app leverages Beifa's strong brand image, extensive distribution channels, broad customer base, efficient internal management, solid financial strength, and robust supply chain capabilities.

With precise market positioning, innovative product design, diverse marketing strategies, and a continuous customer feedback mechanism, Beifa Group's presence now spans Europe, Central Asia, South Africa, Southeast Asia, and more.

"We aim to foster greater cooperation among SMEs in manufacture and sales through digital transformation," Qiu said.