After retiring, Chinese businesswoman Guan Yuxiang was able to build one of the largest companies specializing in beverage can manufacturing from scratch, earning her titles like 'Queen of Beverage Cans' and 'Greatest Retiree Worker' in China.
Born in 1939 in Shenyang, a city in Liaoning province in northeastern China, at the age of 19, Guan joined the workforce at a factory in the capital, Beijing. Like many of her contemporaries, she dedicated nearly 30 years of her professional life to working for the same company until she retired at the age of 50.
However, Guan did not view retirement as the end of her career, but as the beginning of a new phase filled with challenges and ambitions. She decided to embark on an entrepreneurial venture, starting with the establishment of a small company specializing in producing equipment for measuring various physical substances. However, this project did not achieve the desired success. Despite the failure, Guan did not lose confidence in herself; she believed that failure is a necessary step on the path to success. She chose to learn from the experience and start anew, with a meticulous study of the market and its needs.
In 1994, during a trip to the southern province of Hainan, Guan's attention was drawn to the widespread prevalence of beverage factories in the region. At the same time, she noticed that most of the packaging materials used in these factories were imported from Taiwan and South Korea. This revealed a promising investment opportunity for her in the field of locally manufacturing beverage cans.
Guan managed to raise a capital of 300,000 yuan (about $42,000) and founded 'Org Packaging' in Hainan. The company imported beverage can manufacturing equipment from Taiwan, but the seller initially refused to provide the technical information necessary to operate the equipment, claiming that this technology was too complex for a startup. Guan later realized that this experience strengthened her conviction in the importance of owning knowledge and technology as the foundation for success and industrial independence.
In 1995, as the energy drink 'Red Bull' entered the Chinese market, Guan and her team sought to win this global company as a strategic client. Reports indicate that the 'Org' team made approximately 41 visits to 'Red Bull' before they succeeded in convincing its management to cooperate with them.
'Red Bull' agreed to entrust the manufacturing of its cans to 'Org', but on the condition of applying a powder coating technology. This technology was considered an international standard at the time, but it was not common or familiar to beverage can manufacturers in China.
To meet this requirement, Guan did not hesitate to mortgage the factory to import the coating technology from Singapore. This step reflected her confidence in the project and her readiness to take risks for development. This successful request was a real turning point in the company's journey, opening the door to a series of new orders, and 'Org' became a primary supplier of packaging for many beverage companies.
The partnership between 'Org' and 'Red Bull' flourished for over three decades. During this period, Guan continued to lead the company steadily towards innovation, research, and development in modern technologies. This approach resulted in the company obtaining more than 100 patents, enhancing its market position and solidifying its technological superiority.
Over 30 years, 'Org' transformed from a small workshop with only 16 workers into a public company employing more than 4,000 employees. By 2020, the company's annual sales exceeded 10 billion yuan (about $1.4 billion), making it one of the leading companies in the beverage can manufacturing sector in China.
In addition to her remarkable commercial success, Guan dedicated a significant part of her efforts to charitable work. She established a charitable foundation aimed at supporting students in need and donated more than 20 million yuan, driven by her belief in the importance of giving back to the community and supporting future generations.