In August, it was sunny and clear in Kazuo, Chaoyang, Liaoning Province. In front of the tall factory built by Liaoning Ruiyuan Surface Treatment Co., Ltd. in accordance with international standards, and in the clean and efficient creative shop of Keledi (Liaoning) Light Industrial Products Co., Ltd., their common owner—Mr. Deng Canguang told us about his legendary entrepreneur story and his perception of establishing a career and forming his personality. He is a Chinese Canadian and the honorary president of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Liaoning Province.
Currently, Deng Canguang holds investments and stakes in six companies in China. Up until 2022, these companies have achieved an annual output value of 450 million yuan, paid nearly 20 million yuan in taxes for the whole year, and generated an annual foreign exchange income of approximately 30 million US dollars. This has created nearly a thousand job opportunities across various regions.
“I live by the principles of being honest and grounded. I always remind my employees that product quality is the long-term guarantee for the company’s development.” Looking back on his entrepreneur story, Deng Canguang thinks that these principles are the key to his success.
In 2017, Keledi (Liaoning) Light Industrial Products Co., Ltd. was established in Chaoyang, Liaoning. Remarkably, the company’s advanced equipment, including precision tools like screwdrivers, which even engineering PhDs hesitate to claim expertise in, has almost been invented by Deng Canguang. An ordinary young man from Dongguan, Guangdong, who dropped out of middle school due to poverty, holds four invention patents and thirty utility model patents, deserving the title of “inventor”.
Deng Canguang said that he has a strong and competitive personality and is curious about new things. He always grasps the nettle in a brave heart.
Deng Canguang’s entrepreneur story can be described as legendary. In the early 1990s, driven by his ideal and spirit of adventure, he left his supposedly steady job at a state-owned enterprise in Shenzhen and boarded a flight to Canada. Having worked as a salesperson and purchaser, he had a dream of starting his own business. Nevertheless, in an unfamiliar place, he could only earn a living through construction work. He used cement, sand, and some tools every day.
However, it was these simple tools that helped him to find business opportunities.
Possessing a natural business acumen, Deng Canguang noticed the price of some daily tools like screwdriver heads is quite different at home and abroad. He sensed that this could be a huge potential market, but entering this field required a great deal of engineering knowledge, deterring many people. However, Deng Canguang embraced the challenge instead of shying away from it. He didn’t care about his low education and wanted to teach himself. In his belief, where there is a will, there is a way. This is not only his attitude but also his action.
After a day’s work, while others had a rest and recreation, Deng Canguang hid in his room and read relevant professional books. He often asked others and thought carefully when he had questions. He didn’t smoke or drink and wasn’t interested in the bustling world. His greatest interest was to develop products. Little strokes fell great oaks. Gradually, Deng Canguang changed from a middle school dropout to an expert in the field of this manufacturing technology through his intelligence and perseverance. His accomplishments can be described as a saying that it never rains but it pours.
What is a company led by a technical expert like? Deng Canguang asks his employees to keep a saying in mind and hang it as his company’s motto: “There’s no screw that can’t be tightened and no nut that can’t be loosened!”
