says
Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
says
Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
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An article by Liberation Daily published on 2006/3/25, the earliest one I've come across that mentions the DHS Research Institute and blade prototypes.
第一动力
https://news.sina.cn/sa/2006-03-25/detail-ikknscsi9877783.d.html
At Double Happiness, another unwavering rule, similar to "even if production stops, we'll still promote the brand," is: no amount of money spent on scientific research is a waste!
Zhang Zhenyu, the institute's director, recalls that one year he boldly proposed a research budget of 5 million yuan to his superiors, only to be met with a scathing rebuke from Huang Yongwu: "What can 5 million yuan do? Start with 10 million! Zhang Zhenyu, how many times have I told you? You need to spend money wisely, spend it lavishly!"
Being willing to spend money is not enough; one must also know how to spend it wisely. The fundamental purpose of independent innovation is to be application-oriented and to commercialize innovative achievements.
In the late 1980s, foreign table tennis blades from manufacturers like Butterfly (Japan) and Stiga (Sweden) flooded the Chinese market. Their superior control and ease of use quickly led them to replace Double Happiness blades, becoming the preferred choice for the Chinese professional table tennis team. In 2003, Double Happiness decided to reclaim its dominant position. Research institute experts developed several blades specifically for Wang Liqin's playing style. However, unexpectedly, Wang Liqin lost to Sweden's Schlager in the men's singles final of the Paris World Table Tennis Championships using this blade. In late 2004, Wang Liqin called Zhang Zhenyu, the director of the research institute, requesting that Double Happiness make him several blades with "greater control."
But what exactly does "greater control" mean? To "decipher" the intuitive language of national team players like Wang Liqin, the research institute invested heavily in developing a simulated ball-hitting blade testing system. After thousands of simulations, they finally mapped the players' intuitive language to quantifiable technical parameters—"large control" requires the ball to remain on the blade long enough for the player to exert sufficient force; "sufficient power" refers to the initial velocity of the ball upon leaving the blade; the greater the power, the faster the ball travels, and so on.
Guided by the testing system, the research institute made dozens of improvements to Wang Liqin's dedicated blade. At the 48th World Table Tennis Championships in Shanghai in 2005, Wang Liqin won the men's singles world championship with this meticulously crafted blade. The Double Happiness "Hurricane King" blade became famous overnight, and its market price soared to 1200 yuan per blade upon its release.
Without individual innovation, there is no collective benefit. Double Happiness is also generous in rewarding its researchers and other contributors. Double Happiness stipulates that once a new product project developed by the research institute is successful, researchers will receive a reward of 5,000 to 10,000 yuan, regardless of whether it can be launched on the market. Even more enticing is that after the new product is launched, researchers can also receive a 2% commission on the total sales in the first year. All these measures are designed to ensure an annual product update rate of over 30% and a high market success rate for each new product!)
第一动力
https://news.sina.cn/sa/2006-03-25/detail-ikknscsi9877783.d.html
(Located on Beizhai Road, the Double Happiness No. 2 Factory is unremarkable, consisting of a narrow courtyard and a few drab factory buildings. Only one place stands out—the Double Happiness Product Technology Research Institute. This three-story building, with its red walls, white tiles, and green trees, cost 900,000 yuan to renovate alone and remains the most "luxurious" place in the Double Happiness company.
At Double Happiness, another unwavering rule, similar to "even if production stops, we'll still promote the brand," is: no amount of money spent on scientific research is a waste!
Zhang Zhenyu, the institute's director, recalls that one year he boldly proposed a research budget of 5 million yuan to his superiors, only to be met with a scathing rebuke from Huang Yongwu: "What can 5 million yuan do? Start with 10 million! Zhang Zhenyu, how many times have I told you? You need to spend money wisely, spend it lavishly!"
Being willing to spend money is not enough; one must also know how to spend it wisely. The fundamental purpose of independent innovation is to be application-oriented and to commercialize innovative achievements.
In the late 1980s, foreign table tennis blades from manufacturers like Butterfly (Japan) and Stiga (Sweden) flooded the Chinese market. Their superior control and ease of use quickly led them to replace Double Happiness blades, becoming the preferred choice for the Chinese professional table tennis team. In 2003, Double Happiness decided to reclaim its dominant position. Research institute experts developed several blades specifically for Wang Liqin's playing style. However, unexpectedly, Wang Liqin lost to Sweden's Schlager in the men's singles final of the Paris World Table Tennis Championships using this blade. In late 2004, Wang Liqin called Zhang Zhenyu, the director of the research institute, requesting that Double Happiness make him several blades with "greater control."
But what exactly does "greater control" mean? To "decipher" the intuitive language of national team players like Wang Liqin, the research institute invested heavily in developing a simulated ball-hitting blade testing system. After thousands of simulations, they finally mapped the players' intuitive language to quantifiable technical parameters—"large control" requires the ball to remain on the blade long enough for the player to exert sufficient force; "sufficient power" refers to the initial velocity of the ball upon leaving the blade; the greater the power, the faster the ball travels, and so on.
Guided by the testing system, the research institute made dozens of improvements to Wang Liqin's dedicated blade. At the 48th World Table Tennis Championships in Shanghai in 2005, Wang Liqin won the men's singles world championship with this meticulously crafted blade. The Double Happiness "Hurricane King" blade became famous overnight, and its market price soared to 1200 yuan per blade upon its release.
Without individual innovation, there is no collective benefit. Double Happiness is also generous in rewarding its researchers and other contributors. Double Happiness stipulates that once a new product project developed by the research institute is successful, researchers will receive a reward of 5,000 to 10,000 yuan, regardless of whether it can be launched on the market. Even more enticing is that after the new product is launched, researchers can also receive a 2% commission on the total sales in the first year. All these measures are designed to ensure an annual product update rate of over 30% and a high market success rate for each new product!)
