Despite Policy Friction, China’s Auto Industry Thrives in First Quarter

Recent data reveals a notable expansion in China’s automobile sales and production, particularly in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, during the first quarter of 2024 amidst escalating tensions with Western nations regarding industry support policies.

China's Auto Industry Thrives in First Quarter

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, auto sales in China surged by 10.6% to reach 6.72 million vehicles in the initial quarter of the year. State-run Xinhua News Agency, citing association figures, reported a 6.4% year-on-year increase in the country’s auto output to 6.6 million units during the same period.

The production of new-energy vehicles (NEVs) demonstrated significant growth, soaring by 28% compared to the previous year to reach 2.1 million units. NEV sales also experienced a substantial increase of nearly 32%, totaling 2.09 million units. China, already the largest auto exporter globally, witnessed a 33% rise in overseas shipments to 1.32 million units in the first quarter.

In response to criticism from the U.S. and Europe alleging excess EV capacity due to China’s industrial policies, Xinhua defended China’s position, stating that such accusations were unfounded. The commentary emphasized that claims of overcapacity in China’s EV industry were baseless, despite remarks from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during her recent visit to the country regarding artificially low-priced Chinese goods.

While China’s economy, the world’s second-largest, has faced challenges in returning to pre-pandemic growth levels, concerns have arisen over government support favoring supply chains over consumer spending. This has led to apprehensions about potential export subsidies in the automotive and green energy sectors.

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James Lu (Lu Hui)

Professional management consultant in enterprise management

James. Lu has more than 10 years factory working experience from engineer to manager, and 10+ years’ experience as a professional management consultant in enterprise management, include Electrical and Electronic, Automotive, Mechanical Engineering, Home Appliances, Communications, Building and Construction, etc.

Base on special knowledges, such as Strategy and deploy management, KPI management, Lean management, Quality management, Project management, Time management, Leadership management, etc., combined his working experience and lesson learned, always led and supported many clients to achieve the target(s) successfully, include but not limited:

  • Optimize operational efficacy
  • Optimize supply chain management
  • Improve productivity and quality performance in plant
  • Improve ability of R&D for New product/project
  • Improve ability of management system and work team

Meanwhile, according development tendency of Industry 4.0/China 2025, he always studies that how to implement enterprise transformation efficiently. On the basis of expectations and reality, support them become more lean or more automation or more intelligence.

Senior project engineer & Project assistant manager for workshop – ENLIGHT (Dongguan)

Project manager & SQE engineer & Line leader – MITAC (Suzhou)

Dep. Manger of Technical department & Inspection Center – CAM PLAS(Shanghai)

Manager of Project Dep. & Quality Dep. – MYLIGHTS Technology (Shanghai)

Senior manager & Senior consultant – IMIG (Shanghai)

Chief Consultant & VP – OLMC (Shanghai)
Partner – IMIG

Partner – GTEC

  • Chengdu Technological University 2000.09-2003.07 College degree
  • Mechanical Manufacture and Automation
  • Process Auditor VDA6.3 (VDA QMC)    
  • Project Management Professional (PMI)
  • IATF 16969 Auditor
  • Office software
  • Project software
  • AutoCAD, UG
  • Quality tools (SPS, Minitab, etc.)
  • VB, Assembly Language

Training/Coaching/Implementation

  • Optimize management system according reality and purpose
  • Improvement KPI performance
  • Improvement process efficiency, like VDA6.3 audit, Lean process.
  • Optimize QCD for NPI/projects
  • Cost down for manufactory
  • Decrease quality loss
  • Improvement performance on clients’ side
  • Enhance team ability for problem solving/time management/project management/leadership
  • Support to enterprise transformation
  • Higher implementation
  • Higher awareness for management/innovation/learning
  • Continually enhance Kaizen system/culture
  • Competitiveness for new customer/new orders
  • Lean, target/cost-orient management system
  • Gain more return on investment

More experience and more thinking and more innovation:

  • IATF16949/VDA6.3
  • Effective project management for NPI/project
  • Lean/TPS apply more areas (office management, R&D, production/shop flow, logistic, etc.)
  • Quality performance management (internal/external, 3rd-party)
  • Supply chain management
  • Excellent management for plant
  • Excellent management system
  • IATF series standard, such as 16949, APQP/CP, PFMEA, PPAP, SPC, MSA,
  • Policy deployment (Hoshin Kanri)
  • Performance management (BSC KPI)
  • Lean office/R&D/manufacture/logistic
  • Projekt-management
  • Quality Management
  • Six sigma
  • Time Study (work sampling, MTM, PTS, etc.)
  • Data Analysis
  • VDA series standard, such as VDA6.1, VDA6.3, VDA6.5, VDA MLA, VDA NTF, etc.
  • Intelligent Manufacturing/Industry 4.0


Sale up for Germany customer

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%

Operation cost down for a local company

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%

  • Support plant management for new automatic production line
  • Exit top focus for tier2 customers
  • Audited and coached the suppliers of OEM

Optimized Operations – within 8 months:

  • Achieved 5x ROI: assisted team to achieve its annual objectives and operational cost reduction target. 11 projects that included Pull Systems, Single Minute Exchange of Die, Total Preventative Maintenance, Standard Work and Layout Optimization had executed by teams.
  • Trained employees with appropriate Lean methods and tools.

Automatic Factory Project – within 6 months:

  • Re-layout Production line and Improvement benefit for operation by Lean
  • Improved 10.5% work efficiency
  • Reduced 30% WIP quantity
  • Reduced 40% production cycle
  • Reduced 50% WIP inventory

SCM Optimization – within 7 months:

  • Optimize SCM and Reduce procurement cost >=10%
  • Reduced investment and procurement costs by 15% and 30%, respectively
  • Implemented supply chain process to source parts locally

Customer Performance Improvement – within 6 months:

  • Improvement quality performance and exit for customer top focus 
  • Reduced customer-side accidents from 6 to 0
  • Reduced customer complaints from 43 to <14
  • Reduced PPM (from 191 to 70)
  • Reduced the # of CSL2 variety from 42 to 22

VDA6.3 process improvement – within 6 months:

  • VDA6.3 audit score @ 89%
  • KPI optimizing
  • Organizational restructuring and Q-system optimizing

Suppliers Management – over 3 years:

  • Project management & Quality support for 11 suppliers in China
  • Technical supporting and Problem solving for production & testing
  • Business and technology communication
  • Quality Management System (IATF16949) / Production Management System (Lean/CI)
  • Strategic and Deployment
  • Balanced Score Card & KPI
  • NPI Management
  • Project Management
  • Process Optimize Management (VDA6.3/Lean process)
  • Lean/TPS Management (include administer / R&D / manufacture /logistical)
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Industry 4.0

Nationalität: Chinese
Wohnort: Kun Shan, China
Position: Plant Management, Project Management, Quality Management, Production Management
Geburtsjahr: 1978
Sprachen: Chinese (mother language), English