Right number comes up for Chinese firm

CEO of automotive franchiser says it takes courage and wisdom to succeed on the continent

The number two may turn out to be a lucky number for Zhao Hongwei, CEO of Wideway International (Zambia) Investment Co Ltd.

On just his second visit to Tanzania in June, during the second session of the Tanzania-China Business Forum organized by the China-Africa Business Council, Zhao met two partners from a logistics company to expand Wideway International's network within the country.

Established last year in the Zambia-China Corporation Zone, the first economic cooperation zone China established in Africa, Wideway International is the African franchiser of Shacman, a producer of heavy-duty trucks for the Shaanxi Automobile Group. Wideway International promotes Shacman's trucks and car parts and is helping build its network on the continent.

In September, Zhao's two new business partners flew from Tanzania to Beijing to discuss business plans.

"They represent a logistics company in Zambia, and they want to work with us because we provide high-quality vehicles to Tanzania," Zhao says.

Zhao, 48, has learnt a lot about business in Africa in a short period of time. Before the company came to Zambia in 2013, he founded a company that is similar to Wideway International in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011.

Zhao says working at a small company such as Wideway International offers employees a good chance to further their careers.

Liu Jianfei, a 25-year-old business manager for Zhao's business in the Democratic Republic of Congo, began working with Zhao in 2012. He says he has seen his career develop dramatically over the past two years since graduating with a degree in French from a university in Hebei province.

"Leading a team and working with the local people representing our company offers me a brilliant chance to improve myself as a business representative," he says. "It also helps you to learn about local cultures and customs."

Zhao says starting a business in an uncertain area takes a lot of courage and wisdom, and he has enjoyed the experience. In the early 1990s, Zhao started a small commodity-trading firm in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, which at the time was transforming from a small fishing village to a special economic zone. He remembers being unable to understand the local dialects.

"But the experience instilled confidence in me to explore new business opportunities in new places," he says. "All the lessons learned from that experience helped a lot in what I am doing in Africa now."

In 2013, Wideway opened a Shacman store in Kitwe, the second largest city by size and population in Zambia. The three-story store covers more than 5,000 square meters and received its first batch of accessories and tools in February 2014. It also has a 2,500-square-meter tariff-free zone for heavy trucks.

"The new store has a convenient location in the city, which I think will become a good foundation for the brand's future development in Zambia," Zhao says.

In May 2014, the company was awarded for its "Best Contribution to the Brand" by Shaanxi Automobile Group.

Contact the writer at zhangyue@chinadaily.com.cn

zhangyue@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/31/2014 page2)