Pioneering Excellence, Winning the Future with Quality | China-Europe Excellence in Quality Forum Charts New Blueprint for "Quality-Centric" Manufacturing

As the Double Ninth Festival arrives again, a time for climbing high and striving for greater heights, Shandong Lingong has spent six years on its journey of excellence. It has built the foundation of its development with quality and outlined a blueprint for the future through innovation. On the sixth anniversary of obtaining the highest 7-Star Certification of the EFQM Global Excellence Award, the company is embarking on a new chapter of high-quality development.

On October 29, 2025, a grand ideological feast representing the highest standards of China-Europe excellence in quality management - the "China-Europe Excellence in Quality Forum and The 6th Anniversary of Lingong's Acquisition of the European Quality Award" - kicked off in Linyi, Shandong Province. This is not just a grand event, but also a top-level dialogue between China and Europe in the field of quality management, marking a new historic step for Chinese manufacturing in its pursuit of excellence.

With the theme of "Pioneering Excellence, Winning the Future with Quality", this grand event brought together top talents from the political, corporate, academic, and research sectors. Distinguished guests in attendance included Gou Hongshui, Member of the Standing Committee of the Linyi Municipal Party Committee and Vice Mayor of Linyi; Russell Longmuir, CEO of EFQM; and Duan Yonggang, Executive Vice President of the China Association for Quality. Also present were Wang Zhizhong, Chairman of Lingong Group; Wen Degang, General Manager of Shandong Lingong; and more than 160 representatives from leading domestic and foreign enterprises such as Huawei, Wuliangye, Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company, Hengli Hydraulic, Carraro, Cummins, Perkins, Kubota, Yanmar, Weichai, FAW Jiefang, Yuchai, ZF, Parker Hannifin, Bosch Rexroth, Donaldson (USA), Inovance Technology, CATL, Rothe Erde, Eddy Precision, and AKG (Germany). They gathered to celebrate the sixth anniversary of Shandong Lingong's acquisition of the EFQM Global Excellence Performance Certification, exchange quality concepts, discuss strategies for excellence in development, and jointly map out a development blueprint.

PART 01: Peak Dialogue and Exchange of Wisdom to Define the New Future of Quality

This is a peak dialogue on quality and an in-depth integration of excellent concepts. In 2019, Shandong Lingong won the highest 7-Star Certification of the EFQM Global Excellence Award, becoming the first enterprise in China's construction machinery industry to receive this honor and achieving a major breakthrough for Chinese manufacturing on the international quality stage. Over the past six years, guided by the EFQM Excellence Performance Model, Lingong has deeply integrated the essence of European quality management with the actual situation of Chinese manufacturing, creating a new model of excellence performance with Chinese characteristics.

Wang Zhizhong, Chairman of Lingong Group, Delivered a Welcome Speech

In his opening speech, Wang Zhizhong, Chairman of Lingong Group, reviewed the company's development journey over the six years since winning the award. He emphasized, "Quality is Lingong's passport to the world. Six years ago, we won the 7-Star Certification of the European Quality Award, which represents the global benchmark for excellent quality. This is not only a lofty international honor but also a high recognition of our path in pursuing excellence. Over the past six years, we have deeply integrated the EFQM Excellence Model into the entire process of R&D, manufacturing, and services, made strategic plans, actively sought innovation and changes, accelerated the advancement of the internationalization strategy, calmly responded to various challenges, and maintained a steady development momentum. Looking ahead, Lingong will focus on 'product clustering, technological modernization, efficient management, and enterprise internationalization'. Through the dual drivers of technological and management innovation, we will build a high-performance team culture, fulfill social responsibilities, and take a path of high-quality and sustainable development."

Gou Hongshui, Member of the Standing Committee of the Linyi Municipal Party Committee, Vice Mayor of Linyi, and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Yihe New District, Delivered a Speech

In his speech, Gou Hongshui, Member of the Standing Committee of the Linyi Municipal Party Committee, Vice Mayor of Linyi, and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Yihe New District, pointed out that the EFQM Excellence Model provides scientific guidance for enterprises to enhance their core competitiveness. He emphasized that Yihe New District has always adhered to the strategy of strengthening the district through quality, nurturing a group of benchmark enterprises with international influence represented by Lingong. Today, with the theme of "Pioneering Excellence, Winning the Future with Quality", EFQM's return to Lingong marks that Lingong Group is transforming from "introducing standards" to "exporting wisdom" and leaping from "benchmarking against international standards" to "leading the future". At the same time, the exchange of ideas and sharing of practices at this forum will surely bring new ideas to enterprises, help them build new models, stimulate new momentum, and promote more enterprises to achieve new leaps in quality management.

Duan Yonggang, Executive Vice President of the China Association for Quality, Delivered a Speech

Duan Yonggang, Executive Vice President of the China Association for Quality, stated that Shandong Lingong is not only a practical benchmark for quality management in Chinese manufacturing but also a disseminator of excellent concepts. The excellence performance model has become a powerful tool for Chinese enterprises to cope with environmental changes and achieve sustainable development.

Russell Longmuir, CEO of EFQM, Gave a Speech

Russell Longmuir, CEO of EFQM, pointed out that the global manufacturing industry is undergoing profound changes, with the rapid development of intelligent manufacturing and artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, the demand for excellent quality from enterprises represented by Lingong is increasingly strong, and they have developed a unique path of excellent quality management. EFQM is willing to continue to serve as a link connecting China-Europe quality practices and help Chinese enterprises build a more resilient management system.

Wen Degang, General Manager of Shandong Lingong, Gave a Concluding Speech

In his concluding speech, Wen Degang, General Manager of Shandong Lingong, said that this forum has achieved three important goals. Firstly, through the experience sharing of enterprises such as Wuliangye, Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company, and Lingong, it has demonstrated the successful practice of the EFQM Excellence Model in Chinese enterprises. Secondly, in the context of the intensifying homogeneous competition in the industry, the forum has issued a strong industry voice that "no matter how fierce the competition is, we must not compromise on quality or brand", calling on the whole society to adhere to the bottom line of quality. Thirdly, after Lingong's separation from Volvo, this forum has enabled Lingong to make its voice heard. Lingong will unswervingly promote quality development and brand upgrading, and steadily move towards the "100 billion yuan target" and the corporate mission of "taking the road of famous brands and building a century-old Lingong". He emphasized, "Customers lost due to quality issues will not come back, but those lost due to price factors may return." Lingong will always adhere to the development path of establishing the enterprise with quality and strengthening the enterprise with brands.

PART 02: Exchange of Wisdom, Global Elites Discuss Quality Transformation

This is an ideological feast transcending national borders and an in-depth innovation of quality management methods. In the keynote speech session, Yang Yunxia, Member of the Party Committee and Chief Engineer of Wuliangye Group; Zheng Xin, Vice President of Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company; and Song Zhaoyu, Quality Director of Carraro China, respectively shared insights on the modern transformation of traditional manufacturing, systematic methods for continuous improvement, and the implementation path of total quality management. Li Tao, Director of the China Association for Quality, provided professional guidance for enterprises to build an excellent management system from a methodological perspective.

As a quality benchmark in China's construction machinery industry, Lin Yuecun, Deputy General Manager of Shandong Lingong, systematically explained the unique quality concepts and practical system formed by the enterprise over the past six years in his report "Laying a Solid Foundation with Quality and Pioneering Excellence". By building a closed-loop management system covering strategy, operation, and results, Lingong has achieved a magnificent transformation from "manufacturing" to "intelligent manufacturing", providing a referenceable and replicable quality upgrading plan for the industry.

In the field of intelligent manufacturing, Lingong has systematically promoted the automation upgrading of four major links: welding, processing, assembly, and logistics. The welding automation rate has increased to 85%, the excavator assembly automation rate to 20%, and the automation rate of some final assembly lines has reached 77%. Some key processing lines for main control valves and other components have realized 24-hour unattended operation, significantly improving production efficiency and product consistency. Behind these figures lies Lingong's unremitting pursuit of excellent quality.

"Through the 'One Full-scale, Two Innovations, Three Combinations' innovation model, we have created an organizational atmosphere where 'everyone innovates and everything is improved'," General Manager Lin emphasized. This model has enabled the enterprise to rank among the top in the audit of Volvo's global factories. Meanwhile, in terms of digital transformation, Lingong has achieved full-process data-driven operations through the construction of a management cockpit, a quality digital platform, and an intelligent service center, transforming quality control from "post-event inspection" to "pre-event prediction". Lingong will continue to deepen the strategy of "intelligentization, greenization, and internationalization", focus on the needs of user scenarios, and provide comprehensive solutions ranging from complete machine products and special accessories to working condition customization and scenario customization, helping global users achieve efficient and green construction.

PART 03: Leading through Practice, from Made in China to "Quality-Centric" Made in China

The "China-Europe Excellence in Quality Dialogue" session held during the forum pushed the conference to a climax. Dozens of participating guests discussed the in-depth integration of the EFQM Excellence Model with the management practice of Chinese enterprises and explored the opportunities and challenges faced by Chinese manufacturing in the internationalization process. This dialogue not only witnessed the implementation of international standards in China but also demonstrated the role transformation of Chinese enterprises from "standard adopters" to "standard setters". 

Representatives from leading Chinese and foreign enterprises such as Huawei, Cummins, Perkins, and Weichai all spoke and agreed that Chinese manufacturing is currently undergoing a strategic upgrade in its overseas expansion, shifting from "product export" to "standard export" and "management model export". When applying international excellence models such as EFQM, Chinese enterprises have demonstrated unique innovation capabilities in combining global frameworks with the characteristics of the Chinese market, forming a practical path of quality management with Chinese characteristics and providing new ideas for the global quality management paradigm.

During the factory visit, participating representatives walked into the Shandong Lingong Industrial Park and the Lingong Museum, personally experiencing the "intelligent factory" model and corporate culture established by Lingong. From the intelligent welding production lines to the digital assembly workshops, from the intelligent logistics system to the full-process quality control platform, every detail demonstrates the strong strength of Chinese manufacturing. These achievements not only represent Lingong's quality accumulation over more than 50 years but also are a vivid epitome of the high-quality development of Chinese manufacturing.

In the exchange after the visit, many participating guests gained a more intuitive and in-depth understanding of Lingong's development history, corporate culture, and solid achievements in the field of intelligent manufacturing. They highly recognized Lingong's achievements in quality management and technological innovation, especially its brand concept of "reliably undertaking heavy responsibilities".

Russell Longmuir, CEO of EFQM, said, "Lingong has not only perfectly implemented the EFQM Excellence Model but also deepened and innovated it with Chinese characteristics. Its practical achievements in intelligent manufacturing and green transformation have already achieved global demonstration value."

Luo Cizhang, Digital Director of Huawei's Supply Chain, shared his experience of the visit, saying, "We originally hoped to cooperate with Lingong in intelligent manufacturing and digital transformation to contribute to its development. However, after visiting the factory and the museum today, we found that Lingong has already made in-depth and solid progress in these fields, and its development level has exceeded our expectations." He added, "We look forward to carrying out in-depth strategic cooperation with Lingong in more cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and global supply chain collaboration."

PART 04: Embarking on a New Journey, Forging a Powerful Manufacturing Country with Excellent Quality

Six years of unremitting efforts have laid a solid foundation for a new start. Starting from the EFQM Global Quality Award, Lingong has not only consolidated the foundation of its enterprise development through continuous management innovation and technological upgrading but also explored a path of excellent quality management with Lingong characteristics.

The successful holding of this forum marks that the cooperation between China and Europe in the field of quality management has entered a new stage, demonstrating the firm determination of Chinese manufacturing to move towards the era of quality. Standing at a new historical starting point, Lingong will continue to deepen the strategy of "intelligentization, greenization, and internationalization", forge a century-old foundation with excellent quality, and lead industry changes with the spirit of innovation.

Although the grand event has come to an end, a new era is beginning. Under the guidance of the strategy of building a powerful manufacturing country, Shandong Lingong will work hand in hand with partners from all walks of life, lead the way with quality, empower development with innovation, and make unremitting efforts to jointly draw a magnificent picture of the high-quality development of Chinese manufacturing and contribute the wisdom and strength of Chinese manufacturing to the world.