CSG reveals secrets to brand success

MAINTAINING and protecting a company’s brand is even more difficult than building a brand, according to Yang Xinyu, secretary of the board of directors of China Southern Glass (CSG) Holding Co. Ltd., a national leader in the glass industry headquartered in Shekou.

Founded in 1984, CSG was one of the earliest companies listed in China after going public on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 1992. Now the company has become the No. 1 brand for energy-saving glass in China, and one of the most famous brands for solar PV products and display devices, with products and technologies enjoying good reputations at home and abroad.

Yang said that the most important element contributing to the success of CSG is the company’s capacity for independent innovation.

According to Yang, CSG was originally a foreign trade company. Over the years, the company learned about manufacturing techniques and technologies of foreign companies while also conducting independent research and development. “Thanks to the contributions of overseas Chinese scientists, we created our first flat glass assembly line in 1992. Now, our coated glass assembly line has been promoted to other glass companies nationwide, which has made us a national leader in the industry,” Yang said.

Thanks to the efforts, CSG’s products are very popular on the global market. “Compared with the products made in Europe and North America, which are the traditional glass manufacturing powers, CSG’s glass performs better. Since the climate in China varies greatly from one region to another, we have to figure out how to produce different types of glass with certain features that allow the glass to function well under different weather conditions,” Yang said.

He said independent innovation and continuously upgrading products are both important for brand success. CSG has been continuing to improve its technologies and promote its products on the global market. Yang said, “CSG has won such loyalty in the overseas market that many of its clients have included it on the list of regular suppliers. For example, CSG is one of the solar glass suppliers for Tesla’s solar power stations.”

Yang said that CSG is currently considering altering its brand strategy by entering new fields, such as the electronics and solar industries.

Yang said that building a successful brand also requires a market reputation, the acquisition and safeguarding of intellectual property rights, and international standards for technologies and management.