Sailing together into the big league

Klaus Filter, 83, a German designer of rowing shells, helped transform a local workshop into a global company

Klaus Filter's romance with China began more than two decades ago, thanks to a dispute.

In 1994, as a world rowing competition was being held in the United States, a European company that makes rowing shells accused a Chinese boat builder of copying their designs.

Klaus Filter instructs Chinese workers at Sino Eagle Group, a leading manufacturer of rowing shells in Fuyang, Zhejiang province. The German designer has been a major contributor to the company's growth over the past two decades. Photos by Liu Xiangrui / China Daily

Filter, now 83, a German designer of racing shells, was then chairman of the materials commission of the International Rowing Federation, known by the acronym FISA for its name in French - Federation Internationale des Societes d'Aviron. He was asked to look into the issue.

While impressed by the craftsmanship of the Chinese boats, Filter brought the European manufacturer's concerns to the Chinese builder, Xiong Zhangyou.

"He (Xiong) confessed to me he had no experience and could only make copies," Filter recalls during a recent visit to Fuyang city in East China's Zhejiang province.

Xiong also told Filter the mistake was not intentional, as the industry had just started in China and the boat makers had little knowledge of intellectual property rights back then.

It was also a time when FISA was trying to bring lightweight rowing into the Olympic Games to encourage more people to participate in the sport. So, Filter suggested that Xiong take advantage of the opportunity.

Xiong agreed but jokingly asked Filter to come to China to help him. Filter immediately agreed.

"That was also the beginning of our friendship," Filter says.

The following year, Filter visited Xiong's factory in Fuyang and was shocked to find it was a home-based workshop with a few inexperienced workers.

Then, for a week, Filter worked 16 hours a day with Xiong and his employees to make molds for the factory. Xiong didn't have any.

When Xiong wanted to thank him for his generosity, Filter asked him if he would donate his used boats to help promote the sport in developing countries where participation in international contests was slim, mostly because the boats were so costly, Filter says.

Filter and Xiong's ties have moved to a different level since.

He accepted the invitation to be the chief expert and technical director of Xiong's factory after his retirement from the FISA commission in 2000.

Since then, Filter has visited Fuyang almost every year, playing a crucial role in the factory's transformation from a local workshop, established by Xiong in 1985, to one of the world's biggest manufacturers of rowing boats, using the name Sino Eagle Group.

The group, which also has a yacht plant, has more than 400 employees.

In 2003, the company made a breakthrough. Its Wintech racing shells won the bid to provide the official boats for the 2004 Athens Olympics rowing competitions, beating many well-established companies. Sino Eagle has been the official boat supplier for four consecutive editions of the Games, an unprecedented trend in Olympics history.

The company now produces more than 10 percent of the world's rowboats, of which more than 80 percent are exported. Filter has participated in the design of almost all its products.

"We made fast advances ... because we invited the best expert in the world," Xiong says.

Filter started his career in the former East Germany and became a member of its national rowing team in the 1950s. He developed the world's first composite rowing shell in 1960 after becoming a naval architect.

In 1979, he became a founding member of FISA's materials commission and served as its head from 1990 to 2000.

"Motivation is important. My hobby is my profession, so I never get tired," says Filter, who still rows sometimes.

Filter brought both his expertise and enthusiasm to China.

"He has high standards and follows them strictly. He really loves his profession," says Jin Yin, a senior manager from Xiong's company.

According to Jin, Filter often went to inspect the workplace and sometimes would pick up tools himself to show workers how things should be done.

When the company would launch new products, Filter would stay on the premises until late at night to ensure every detail was factored into the boat designs.

Over time, he has learned some Chinese, even jargon, to better communicate with his local colleagues. But there were challenges other than language as well, Filter says."A big part of my job here has been to change people's mentality and old habits."

He made efforts to improve the factory environment by helping his colleagues understand the importance of "rowing as a team".

Filter asked the company to focus less on the boats' appearance and more on the functionality of different parts. "Function always takes priority over appearance. We must double-check to avoid silly mistakes," he says.

When disagreements arose, Filter would express his opinion frankly. He says he successfully persuaded Xiong to "think ahead" instead of continuing to make the cheap products produced in the company's early years when labor costs were low.

"I prefer to talk about problems openly, not to put them under the carpet," Filter says.

Filter also is devoted to training young professionals for the company. As he proposed, Sino Eagle has established a research and development team consisting of talent from China and abroad.

The company makes big investments annually to introduce products based on new technologies.

"My time is limited. So I must hurry to hand over my know-how to young people," he says.

The German received a prestigious Friendship Award from the Chinese government in 2004. The annual awards are given to foreigners who make significant contributions to China's development.

He says he treasures his deep connection with China. "It's not only work, but more based on friendship," he says.

Filter says he has joined Xiong's family on many memorable tours of China. And being treated as a member of the family has given him a strong sense of home in China.

"I've watched his (Xiong's) sons and even grandsons grow up. It's amazing."

Filter, an honorary citizen of Fuyang, has also watched the city's growth take off. He recalls he was once the only Western face in Fuyang, but today more than 200 foreign experts live in city. He helped establish a local foreign experts' club for socializing.

He says he is also impressed by improvements in the environment and people's living standards. Workers here used to ride bicycles. Now, many of them drive cars, he says.

"I realize that when you help a company grow, you also help a country grow. China is such a big nation - its development will benefit the entire rowing undertaking in return."

liuxiangrui@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 02/26/2016 page19)