Anhui Tanjie International Trade Co., Ltd.
July 10, 2024, sunny.
Today, I am standing in the exhibition hall of Anhui Tanjie International Trading Co., Ltd. again. What I see before me are rows of floor washing machines shining with metallic luster. They are quietly arranged in an orderly manner, just like soldiers waiting for review, always ready to go to different corners of the world. My father, the founder of this company, was always keen to wipe the wheels of the machine in the early morning, as if he were touching each piece of art.
Pointing at one of the machines with his calloused but still strong hands, he turned around and said, "Did you know?" He said, "We have revised the design of this Floor washing machine for seventeen editions." His tone was calm, but with unquestionable persistence. At that moment, I suddenly understood why Anhui Tanjie’s products can be sold in more than 30 countries.
When the company was first established, everything was not smooth. At that time, we were just a small export department of Anhui Tanjie Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. The competition in the domestic market was as fierce as a sweltering summer. Many peers chose to lower prices and sacrifice quality to obtain orders. However, my father was determined to do what seemed to be the "stupid" thing, that is, to build every floor washing machine to the extreme.
I remember the arrival of the first overseas customer. He was a picky German businessman. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and held a magnifying glass in his hand. He squatted under the chassis of the machine, carefully inspected every welding point, and then asked in fluent English: "How can you convince me that this floor washing machine made in China is better than one made in Germany?"
The answer that surprised everyone was that it was the role of father. Originally, he was not in a hurry to do sales. Instead, he took out a diary, which recorded dense data. The detailed and specific temperature rise curve of the motor, the pressure distribution of the brush plate, the efficiency after sewage recycling. These data existed for three full years, like a silent documentary telling the story behind it.
“We are not building a machine,” my father said. “We are solving a problem: how to make cleaning efficient, environmentally friendly, and consistently effective.”
The businessman from Germany was silent for a long time. Finally, he stood up and took his father's hand. At this moment, I witnessed two actors who did not belong to the same country bridge the language barrier due to their common pursuit of quality.
As time goes by, our floor cleaning machines begin to leave traces all over the world. In Dubai’s skyscrapers, in Singapore’s shopping malls, in London’s subway stations, and in Tokyo’s airports. The sound of the rolling machine wheels seems to have become an international language. However, what touches me most is not the orders that come one after another, but the subtleties in customer feedback.
The person who wrote the email was a customer from Brazil. He wrote: "Your machine helped us save 40% of water consumption. In this city, this city is short of water, which is of great significance." There was a hotel manager from Australia. He said: "Your floor washing machine has been working in a high temperature environment for a whole day, but the motor is cold. I have never seen such stability."
Every email is a story. Each story confirms the belief held by his father: high-quality products have the ability to express themselves.
However, the road along which exports take is by no means a smooth one. There are obstacles in terms of tariffs, differences between different cultures, certification standards, time differences in after-sales services, etc. Every single problem is like a stone, trying to block our progress. I clearly remember one time when a batch of machines destined for Africa was hit by a typhoon at sea, causing water to enter the container. By the time the machine is delivered to the customer, it is already covered with rust marks.
If it were another company, they might shirk responsibility and claim it was a natural disaster. However, my father did not hesitate and immediately arranged for re-delivery and sent two engineers to fly over for on-site training. That time, the company lost hundreds of thousands. But that African customer has since become our most loyal partner and introduced three new customers.
Father, he often asked us this way, "Do you think you are selling machines?" He added, "No, you are selling trust. Only when a person trusts you first will he entrust you with the task of cleaning his most important place."
Nowadays, whenever a new employee joins the company, I will take them to the showroom, point to each floor washing machine , and tell them the stories behind these machines. I hope they understand that this is not an emotionless device, but the Anhui Tanjie people’s love for environmental protection, their insistence on quality, and their commitment to customers.
Maybe someone will ask: In this impetuous era, are there still people willing to spend ten years carving a machine? My answer is: Indeed, there are. The reason is that we firmly believe that true value can withstand the test of time and the scrutiny of the world.
Så, when you search for " floor washing machine ", you're not just looking for a product. What you find is a group of people in a small town in Anhui who spend their whole life doing one thing well. They do not pursue the fastest speed, but the most stable every step; they do not desire the most famous reputation, but the most real recognition.
This is the story of Anhui Tanjie International Trading Co., Ltd., a story about persistence, quality and global dreams, and every Floor washing machine that starts from here is the most touching chapter of this story.
