Rain or shine, he wears a thick protective suit and a mask every day, and from a distance no one can tell who he is. But when his name is mentioned, everyone knows he is the iron "welder" — Wu Jiale.

Original Aspiration: Scaling the Heights of Welding Skills

When he first joined the workforce, Wu Jiale came to XCMG Foundation with the halo of a welding skills competition champion from his student days. On his first day on the job, he took the initiative to find the head of the human resources department to ask about employee welding skills competitions.

Upon learning that excellent skill performance would give him the opportunity to participate in employee welding skills selection trials and competitions, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying and rigorously practicing welding skills.

After finishing each workpiece, he would always examine the weld bead several times back and forth, checking whether the weld seam was smooth and whether there was slag or spatter. Sometimes he would ponder welding processes even while walking, thinking about how to make the weld seam smoother and stronger.

Sometimes he would hold an empty welding gun and gesture back and forth. When curious colleagues nearby asked him about it, he would merely say lightly: "I'm practicing muscle memory."

Someone asked him: "You've already won first place, why are you still so serious?" He said: "That was the past, and besides, every first place is at a different level. There is no end to improving one's skills!"

Training through the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, he has won 1 national-level, 5 provincial and ministerial-level, and 2 municipal-level skills awards, becoming a "Jiangsu Provincial Technical Expert" and "Jiangsu Provincial May 1st Innovation Expert."

He keeps scaling new heights on the path of improving his welding skills, and the burn marks on his hands have become his most remarkable medals.

Practical Work: Innovating and Creating Value on the Job

In 2021, the XCMG Foundation Welding Skills Studio was established, and Wu Jiale became its leader. Keeping firmly in mind the fundamental goal of innovation and value creation, he has carried out 12 "Eight Small" innovation projects and 6 QC and process improvement projects based in the workshop.

In the automatic welding equipment process optimization project, he led the members of the welding skills studio in continuously trying new process methods, adopting approaches such as optimizing welding travel paths, welding parameters, and changing the welding sequence. This reduced the manual intervention rate of automatic welding equipment, achieved an operational improvement of one person running two machines, cut mast welding time by 50%, and halved labor costs. 

In the tack-welding fixture improvement project, he optimized the mast tack-welding process, improved product straightness, saved straightening costs, and increased mast production efficiency by 20%.

In the project to replace imported welding consumables with domestic alternatives, nearly 100,000 yuan in welding costs is saved each year.

These repeated optimizations and improvements are not only Wu Jiale's responsibility as the studio leader, but also tangible innovation and value creation.

Craftsmanship: Teaching Others to Fish and Promoting Improvement

As the most skilled welder in the business unit, whenever a welding challenge arises, Wu Jiale always steps forward as the "mine clearer," which has also allowed him to accumulate rich technical experience.

During the construction of the business unit's new base structural parts workshop, many of his rationalization suggestions were adopted.

In response to the remanufacturing revenue-generating project, he voluntarily took on the repair tasks for second-hand drill pipes and second-hand structural parts of rotary drilling rigs, summarized a complete set of repair methods, and compiled the "Second-hand Drill Pipe Maintenance Guide" and the "Rotary Drilling Rig Second-hand Structural Parts Repair Guide," providing a basis for accounting in product remanufacturing.

To improve the overall welding level of the workshop and raise the skill level of colleagues around him, he continuously summarizes welding experience based on his own work practice and voluntarily conducts training in welding methods, welding processes, and other areas in his spare time, leading everyone to improve together.

With ever-improving welding skills, he polishes every weld seam in his hands; with relentless dedication and effort, he writes the picture scroll of his life with flying sparks. This is Wu Jiale — the unremitting pursuit of an iron "welder."