Leadership in manufacturing: Leaving a legacy for the world to come

“After working as a CEO at a private company, where my role involved listing companies on the market, I had to make a significant decision about my career path. I had always known about Siemens Energy because it was a major competitor in the industry,” Zheng begins, so we’re curious to hear about his transition to the group. “I found them to be especially well organized, following the same processes and procedures efficiently. This is something that appealed to me a lot. Ultimately, I can say it made me join Siemens Energy then and there,” he adds.

In our chat over Teams, we learn that Zheng is a highly skilled professional when it comes to vital business topics like strategy and leadership, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing. Having worked as a general manager in the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization as well as machine manufacturing, it quickly becomes clear that he wants to be an active part of what he does. He undeniably wants his job to be a full-blown hands-on experience where he can create a legacy. “As the general manager leading factories, I enjoy the freedom to shape up the factories the way I envision, unlike before where I was just part of a large organization with a rigid framework. It energizes me to implement what I learned in business school, not just theoretically but practically. Additionally, overcoming challenges like digitalization and witnessing the successful outcomes brings me motivation,” he elaborates.

“I’m highly committed to leaving a legacy behind in the factory. For me, growth is evident when looking at the improvements made over the last five years. We kicked off our vast digitalization journey four years ago, and I am proud that our factories are ahead of many others inside and outside of China.”

“By implementing the digital system for our factories, we have advanced significantly. Our products, especially our compressors, play a vital role in energy transformation and emission reduction,” Zheng adds. When asked about his flagship projects, he envisions a future-forward sustainability and education hub in Huludao – open to the public: “Siemens Energy is leading in tackling the energy transition. So, we have found a really special way to put the topic in the spotlight even more: we are currently in the process of expanding our digital center. We aim to rename it to an intelligent digitalization center and open it to public visitors, which is good for promotion, but especially for education to high school and college students. This beacon will showcase our progress and has become a point of pride – even for the local government.” No doubt will this shape Zheng's legacy as a forward-thinking manufacturing leader, driving positive transformation in the energy industry.