Someone You Can Count On

By She Fei, Luo Zhen

By the end of 2022, the situation of COVID-19 had improved from critical to mild, and the government had eased the restrictions over COVID-19. However, many of our colleagues at NMFIRE were affected by COVID-19 and had to recover at home. He Shengqiang was the only one who could work from his team, just when an overseas order was due. More than ten fire protection units had to be packaged. Time was short. The task was challenging.

Compared to assembly, debugging and other processes, packaging may seem simple, but it is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To ensure that fire protection units are not damaged in transit, NMFIRE always uses the sturdiest method of wood and metal for packaging. The unit is placed on a wooden board with a steel base. Holes are drilled according to the unit's anchor points then bolted to the base. Desiccants are then added to reduce moisture, and the unit is film wrapped to reduce humidity damage to the diesel engine. Afterwards, a steel frame is added, then wooden boards are screwed onto the frame with tapping screws. Once complete, the NMFIRE logo is printed onto the container, and triangular edge protectors are added to each corner. Lastly, the order forum is attached to the shipping container. This entire process needs to be flawless before packaging can be considered complete.

Packaging is usually done by two people working together, but this time He Shengqiang was alone. For packing the ten plus units, He Shengqiang had only one thing on his mind: complete the task on time.

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He devised a strategy to package the units based on the workload. Usually, one person would hold the boards while the other person would nail them in. Now, he had to use pliers to secure the boards in place, then nail them in. One person would normally control the crane while the other person would stabilize the unit. Now, He Shengqiang reminded himself to be more careful, operate the crane safely, and lift the unit gently into position.

It was December in Changsha and winter had arrived. Temperatures in the workshop were as low as a few degrees Celsius. The unit packaging area is located next to the workshop gate, and the cold wind blowing in from outside is enough to make you shiver. He Shengqiang dragged the iron frame, measured the dimensions, sawed the wood boards, and sprayed shipping markers without stopping, despite sweating profusely. Sawdust would cut into He Shengqiang's palms from carrying the boards, causing pain with even the slightest amount of effort. Yet, He Shengqiang gritted his teeth and kept going, working overtime every day without any complaints.

Time waits for no one, though. The pandemic hindered He Shengqiang's ability to package the units, but he managed to do it around the clock. After eating and sleeping at the factory, he finished a task that would normally take the entire packaging team one day before the deadline — neat and uniform, ensuring quality and quantity.

He Shengqiang neither boasted about his achievement nor even made it known. He simply interpreted his responsibilities as a member of NMFIRE and took action. He really is a respectable and commendable person.