In the Qiantang district of Hangzhou, a cosmetics company named “FaceCare” (Chinese name “菲丝凯”) has emerged. “Our company’s physical establishment here is fairly recent. We are still enhancing our production lines. After many years of hard work, we finally have our own space here in Hangzhou,” said Wu Zhigang, general manager of Hangzhou FaceCare Cosmetics Co., Ltd. Originally from Shangxi in Yiwu, Wu has dedicated 18 years to the cosmetics industry. The company he founded, Hangzhou FaceCare Cosmetics, is recognized as a high-tech enterprise in Hangzhou, a science and technology-based SME in Zhejiang Province, and a national high-tech enterprise. In 2022, FaceCare reported an annual revenue of 250 million RMB, making it one of the major cosmetics manufacturers in Zhejiang.

In 2005, with the support of family and friends, Wu Zhigang invested a million RMB and leased a large space in Hangzhou. There, he began the process of packaging and processing partially completed cosmetics. By 2007, with the rapid growth of online platforms like Taobao, Wu Zhigang realized that the platforms brought new opportunities for product sales. This was when the company began its transformation. They shifted their focus to technology-driven initiatives and started developing products like lotions and face creams. “Luckily, the new products received fantastic responses from the market,” Wu Zhigang noted. In that same year, the company’s value exceeded ten million RMB.

In 2009, Wu Zhigang recognized the significant potential of the international market. He developed cosmetics tailored for export, considering the preferences of foreign customers. This move expanded the company’s reach globally, leading to increased sales in both international and domestic markets. Today, FaceCare products are sold in markets like Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea. About 80% of the sales come from foreign trade.

FaceCare has always aimed for high-quality development through innovation and digitization. Starting from 2019, they’ve invested millions of RMB into digitization, implementing a series of digital transformation measures.

As you walk through the corridors of the FaceCare workshop, you can look through clear glass windows to see workers in dustproof suits diligently working in the dust-free area. “Right here, we have the facial mask packing machine. Workers just need to arrange the facial mask packaging above the machine, and it takes care of the rest – automatic canning, weighing, and more. The products are packed and ready for shipping,” explained Wu Zhigang. He added that thanks to the digital transformation, the company’s production capacity has increased by 6 or 7 times compared to the past. Now, they have the capacity to produce between 800,000 to 1 million products daily. Currently, the company’s order load is at maximum capacity.

Since the reform and opening up, Zhejiang’s private economy success stories like FaceCare have achieved a remarkable transformation from Zhejiang model to Zhejiangnese model. (By Luo Hongting)