[Exclusive Interview] Ten Years of Steadfast Dedication — An Interview with Zhu Jun, Director of the Production Center at Nongda Fertilizer Co., Ltd.

Introduction

In 2008, Nongda Fertilizer Feicheng Company laid the cornerstone for its factory; in 2018, it celebrated its tenth anniversary. From its initial positioning as a production base to its current status as the headquarters of Nongda Fertilizer, over the past decade, the company’s team has, on the fertile soil of Feicheng, steadily advanced—step by step—through hard work and dedication, writing the story of its growth and realizing its dreams, and painting a vibrant picture of Nongda Fertilizer’s thriving future.

His resume is steeped in the sweat of his hard work!

His journey bears the hardships of Nongda Fertilizer’s production!

His story has further deepened the understanding among Nongda Fertilizer employees of just how hard-won the company’s current success truly is.

He,

In 2004, joined Nongda Fertilizer Co., Ltd.;

In 2008, the Feicheng base of Nongda Fertilizer Industry was constructed, completed, and put into operation.

In 2010, he took on the responsibility of constructing the second production line at the Gongzhuling Base of Nongda Fertilizer Co., Ltd.

Today, he serves as Director of the Agricultural University Fertilizer Industry Production Center. While ensuring the smooth and orderly operation of production at the headquarters base, he is also implementing the Agricultural University Fertilizer Industry’s development plan, meeting marketing needs, and actively expanding production facilities in external markets.

He is Zhu Jun, Director of the Production Center at Nongda Fertilizer Industry.

Work with dedication and demonstrate a sense of responsibility in everything you do.

Since joining Nongda Fertilizer in 2004, Zhu Jun has remained steadfastly on the production front line. He has always regarded Nongda Fertilizer as his own home and treated its operational matters as personal concerns, diligently addressing challenges and obstacles in the production process day after day for over a decade.

On February 14, 2008, Nongda Fertilizer Co., Ltd. joined forces with local enterprises in Feicheng to establish a production base there—today the company’s headquarters. Even now, when he recalls the construction and commissioning of the Feicheng facility, Zhu Jun still feels a lingering sense of apprehension.

In 2008, just as Zhu Jun was poised to launch a vigorous expansion, the global economic crisis struck, and Nongda Fertilizer Industry was not spared. For a time, market conditions deteriorated sharply: sales stalled due to a lack of orders, and raw material prices plummeted. At that point, Nongda Fertilizer held 2,000 to 3,000 tons of monoammonium phosphate; its price fell from 3,500 yuan per ton to as low as 2,000 yuan per ton, resulting in losses exceeding 1,500 yuan per ton—a substantial financial blow. As a result, the Feicheng plant was forced to suspend production for a period.

“At the time, I was living at the company, only going home once or twice a week. It was bearable when there was work to do, but with production halted every day and nothing to occupy my time, I gradually became quite disheartened,” Zhu Jun recalled.

From October 2008, production remained suspended until the first lunar month of 2009. When work resumed on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Zhu Jun ran into another problem: there was no one to staff the factory.

Since its completion and commissioning, the Feicheng base remained virtually idle for more than half a year, leaving workers with nothing to do and forcing them to take time off. When it was scheduled to resume operations on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month—right in the middle of the Spring Festival holiday—the original workforce either stayed home under the pretext of celebrating the festival or had already moved on to other companies, most of them having little confidence in the Feicheng base. With no other option, the company had to hire new employees. To help them get up to speed quickly and ensure a steady production supply, Zhu Jun took up residence on the third floor of the company’s newly consolidated office building, overseeing operations around the clock. When he could no longer stay awake, he would snatch a brief nap in his upstairs office. After more than a year of dedicated effort, the Feicheng production base of Nongda Fertilizer Industry finally got back on track under Zhu Jun’s leadership.

In August 2010, due to the expansion of Princessling Company’s second production line, Zhu Jun was once again dispatched to Northeast China to continue his work on setting up and organizing production. During that period, he encountered numerous challenges—whenever they dug into the ground, water would gush out, requiring them to use a submersible pump to drain it daily. Only after several attempts were they finally able to seal the leaks.

“We’d been setting up in Gongzhuling for about a month, and by the time we got back, it was almost New Year’s. By then, the snow had already started falling in Northeast China—every knock on my head sounded like knocking on a watermelon. I’d never spent time in such a cold place,” Zhu Jun recalled, his memories of that winter still vivid and profound. As he spoke, he even unconsciously reached up to touch his own head.

Striving for excellence and embodying the spirit of craftsmanship in production.

“In production, we must rigorously uphold quality standards and champion the spirit of craftsmanship. When it comes to product quality, there is no such thing as ‘the best’—only ‘better,’” said Zhu Jun. Throughout the manufacturing process, he has consistently strived for excellence, pursuing high quality, high productivity, and low costs, with the aim of delivering products that offer even greater value to our customers.

In 2004, Nongda Fertilizer Industry was still a small operation, with a daily production capacity of only 20 to 30 tons and frequent equipment breakdowns. From that time on, Zhu Junji’s “craftsman spirit” began to shine: he both upgraded existing equipment, boosting capacity to around 150 tons per day, and actively mastered production processes, laying the groundwork for a 200,000‑ton compound fertilizer production line, which significantly expanded the company’s overall output.

In 2009, after the newly hired workers at the Feicheng base had mastered the operating procedures and improved their skills, and with production running smoothly, cost management once again became Zhu Jun’s primary concern. He set out to address this issue by proactively engaging in communication and negotiations with raw-material suppliers, striving to further reduce production costs.

Looking ahead to today, Nongda Fertilizer has positioned its production facility as the company’s second sales battleground. Production quality has improved, with products now boasting more appealing aesthetics and superior intrinsic performance; production scheduling has become more scientific and efficient, ensuring timelier order fulfillment. Beyond the recognition of the products themselves, even the facility’s cleanliness has earned high praise from visiting clients, significantly bolstering efforts to win new business for both the marketing team and Nongda Fertilizer.

With boundless dedication, we will continue to contribute to the production of Nongda Fertilizer.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Nongda Fertilizer Feicheng Base, Zhu Jun set even higher standards for production—standards he also applies to himself. He hopes that, riding the wave of big data, artificial intelligence, and the transition from old to new growth drivers, Nongda Fertilizer will adopt more advanced equipment and cutting-edge processes, relieving production workers of arduous manual labor and delivering an even greater array of high‑quality products to its customers.

Meanwhile, as a director who has risen steadily from the grassroots, Zhu Jun shared this principle with all production staff and with everyone at Nongda Fertilizer: Nongda Fertilizer is a company that truly values those who deliver results, and as long as one earns merit, Nongda Fertilizer will never fail to recognize and reward it. Under his leadership, Zhu Jun hopes to cultivate more high‑caliber, highly skilled production and management professionals—talent well‑suited to Nongda Fertilizer’s growth—thereby making an even greater contribution to the continued development of this platform.

After ten years of dedicated effort, Zhu Jun has transformed from a complete novice with no knowledge of compound fertilizers into a seasoned manager in fertilizer production. This journey reflects his own relentless learning, reflection, and continuous self-improvement. As Zhu Jun himself puts it, “The company has given me this opportunity, and my professional growth has been nurtured by Nongda Fertilizer Industry. I am deeply grateful for the platform that Nongda Fertilizer Industry has provided.”

Let us offer our blessings to Zhu Jun, and wish Nongda Fertilizer Industry an even brighter future. We also look forward to seeing many more companies like Nongda Fertilizer Industry, taking Zhu Jun and others as role models, standing together through thick and thin, and jointly forging an even brighter tomorrow.