Jiang Yan: The spirit of craftsmanship
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 27, 2016
Jiang Yan is the vice chief engineer of the Designing Institute of Shenyang Blower Works Group Corporation (SBW Group). Born into a Manchu family in 1973, she graduated from the Shenyang University of Chemical Technology in 1997 and joined the SBW Group the same year. In 2013, she became a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
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Jiang Yan at work |
Jiang gained national fame for designing the country's first compressor capable of producing one million tons of ethylene a year in 2012. The successful running of the machine made China one of only a handful of countries capable of designing such large-scale compressors, ending China's long-time dependence on imports.
Due to her great contributions to China's compressor development, Jiang was honored as a "National Outstanding Party Member" in July this year.
Despite the great honor, Jiang remains humble. "I'm not a smart person," she said. "So I always try to work harder."
In 1997, when Jiang first entered the SBW Group, she was totally at a loss regarding what she was doing. As a green hand, she was responsible for designing compressor auxiliary parts. However, she didn't know what the things were for. For quite a long time, she thought the blowers her company was producing were a kind of high-velocity hair dryer.
After the embarrassment, Jiang decided to pull herself together and become qualified for the work. She seized all opportunities to learn from senior engineers, taking down notes of every formula, parameter and idea she came across. After seven years, she had a deep understanding of various vessel materials, paving the way for her future success.
In her spare time, Jiang went to the Northeastern University to pursue graduate education. "Her understanding of theories might not have been the best in the class, but she was definitely the most hard-working student," her teacher recalled.
Jiang's opportunities improved in 2003. Previously, she had worked for a year in the department designing compressors. During that year, she managed to design hundreds of compressors. Her hard-working attitude left a deep impression on the department head.
Therefore, when the SBW Group decided to produce an ethylene compressor in 2003, the department head nominated her to be the chief designer. "I trust your ability and attitude. You are competent for the job," the department head told her.
"Those words totally changed my life," Jiang recalled. For the following three years, she dived deep into the designing work.
In 2006, the 450,000-ton ethylene compressor she designed was running successfully. And she immediately threw herself into the designing of a 1-million-ton compressor.
Jiang was the first in China to design such a large-scale compressor, so there was no beaten path for her to follow. She racked her brain day and night for ideas and spent every weekend reading foreign research papers and visiting Chinese scientists. In three years, she produced more than 300 design drawings.
In 2011, the compressor she designed successfully began trial operations.
Now, Jiang has set her eyes on a 1.2-million-ton compressor. Although she humbly attributed all the achievements to the 7,300 workers of the SBW Group, whom she said have backed her all along the way, she has become an idol in the eyes of the young engineers at the company. Jiang continuously reminds them to stick to the spirit of craftsmanship, emphasizing perseverance and a realistic, down-to-earth attitude.
Despite all her horrors and achievements, after work, Jiang is just an ordinary wife, mother and daughter. She said her husband has given her the strongest support over the past 18 years, and her biggest achievement is having had her daughter. Now, her biggest wish is to take a short vacation and travel with her family.
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