Moving into the Quarry Business

    At five or six in the morning, as usual, Huang Xianlin drives to the quarry and takes a walk around the hill to check for safety hazards--this is how his workday begins.

    In the 1970s, Huang Xianlin worked as a driver at a state-owned supply and marketing cooperative. From that time on, his job involved dealing with vehicles every day, and he personally handled maintenance and repairs. In the 1980s, national policies encouraged employees of state-owned enterprises who held secure jobs to go into business. It was then that Huang Xianlin mustered his courage, took a gamble, scraped together more than 100,000 yuan from his own 15,000 yuan and borrowed funds, bought his first truck, and began his entrepreneurial journey.

    Recalling his days running long-haul transport, Huang Xianlin has endless emotions. At that time, he mainly transported vegetables from Hunan, Henan, and Shandong to Jilin. Long-haul transport was hard work. During this period, Huang Xianlin endured the hardship of working from dawn to dusk and staying up all night, and even experienced a traffic accident caused by long-term fatigue. His narrow escape made him re-examine the safety of long-haul transport and begin seeking a more stable business.

    After extensive research, Huang Xianlin recognized the relatively stable nature of the quarry business, and so his quarry career began in 1996. He used his own fleet for transport, forming an industrial chain from stone production to transport and sales. Jinxin Stone Quarry, which the reporter visited, is the most recently acquired of Huang Xianlin's three quarries and is mainly composed of diorite--a stone widely used in construction. At present, Jinxin Quarry's annual output has reached 100,000 cubic meters.

    Transformation from Manual Labor to Mechanization

    More than a decade ago, quarries relied almost entirely on manpower--carrying on shoulders, digging by hand, and manual blasting. In addition, market demand for stone was relatively small at that time, so annual output was very low. With the rapid development of cities and the real estate industry, demand for stone has shown rapid growth momentum, with market demand increasing dozens of times or more. Quarry output had to be continuously improved, which brought quarries into the era of mechanization. Higher efficiency, greater output, and less manpower made quarry profits considerable after mechanization. Huang Xianlin's quarries also grew from one to three today.

    Huang Xianlin's quarry entered the mechanized era in 2000. That year, building construction accelerated, market demand increased, and stone was in short supply. Market conditions urgently required quarries to expand production. Huang Xianlin purchased his first loader. This loader let him experience the tremendous convenience brought by machinery, saving manpower while also saving explosives.

    Having benefited from mechanized production, Huang Xianlin set his sights on more flexible excavators. In 2003, he bought his first Cat machine: a Cat 320C excavator. He praised his Cat excavator endlessly: "After six years of use, it never had a major breakdown. It only needed regular maintenance and replacement of wear parts; not even a piece of paint fell off. The Cat 320C excavator is sturdy, durable, and highly efficient, which gives me great peace of mind and has brought me considerable returns. In addition, its bucket teeth are very sturdy. Although it digs hard rock every day, its service life is longer than that of other brands, saving me a lot of cost." In 2009, in order to update equipment, Huang Xianlin sold this Cat 320C excavator. To his surprise, the residual value of this used Cat 320C excavator also far exceeded his expectations. So Huang Xianlin bought a Cat 323DL excavator, and this Cat 323DL excavator has accompanied him ever since, still leaving him very satisfied.

    In October 2013, Huang Xianlin acquired Jinxin Quarry. To meet production needs, he purchased another Cat 336D excavator. Together with a Cat 320C excavator left by the previous operator of Jinxin Quarry, three Cat excavators have become Huang Xianlin's main force.

    A Gem in Harsh Working Conditions

    The working conditions at the quarry are extremely harsh, and the rock is incredibly hard. This requires not only strong excavator power but also excellent materials for the bucket, bucket teeth, and tracks. In Northeast China in winter, work stops every November and resumes the following March. After a heavy snowfall, temperatures suddenly drop to around -28°C, making it almost impossible for workers to work at such low temperatures. As a result, the few months suitable for work become the best time for the quarry to race against the clock. The quarry's excavators basically work 16 hours a day, with drivers on two shifts, but the excavators do not stop, averaging 4,000 hours of work per year. Within the limited mining time, replacing existing equipment, switching from small-tonnage excavators to larger ones, increasing output per unit time, and increasing profits became issues Huang Xianlin considered more.

    According to Huang Xianlin's recollection, when the newly added Cat 336D excavator at Jinxin Quarry officially went into operation in October 2013, he specially transferred an experienced veteran operator from another quarry to "break in" the Cat 336D excavator. After operating it, the operator reported: "The Cat 336D excavator has a large bucket, ample power, user-friendly operation, and fast swing speed. Working at the quarry is truly like a fish in water." This Cat 336D excavator now works only 8 hours a day and can already meet the quarry's current output. The Cat 336D excavator has the advantage of tonnage and can also mine harder stone. It is like a gem at the quarry, bringing users more profits.

    Safety in the Left Hand, Integrity in the Right

    In Huang Xianlin's view, the mining industry must attach importance to safe production. On the one hand, he continuously raises the safety awareness of company employees and provides more training; on the other hand, he also places great importance on the safe production of mechanical equipment. Having dealt with machinery all his life, Huang Xianlin pays special attention to regular standard maintenance of excavators and insists on using original parts, focusing more on the longer-term use value of the equipment. His approach has also greatly increased the safety and service life of the equipment.

    Grasping safety with the left hand and holding integrity with the right is Huang Xianlin's secret to success. It is integrity and the life principle of being a good person before doing business that helped him win the trust of partners and enabled his business to grow and expand.

    Today, this man over sixty still maintains vitality in his career. Huang Xianlin plans to add another production line at Jinxin Quarry in 2014, increasing output to 300,000 cubic meters. To match this output, he also plans to add one to two more Cat excavators. Huang Xianlin, who continues to pursue his dreams, will continue to fully embody the spirit of "an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand li."