Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, widely known for its innovative smart phones and home appliances, is focusing on building up and integrating the supply chain in the automotive industry.
Xiaomi entered the new energy vehicle (NEV) market in 2021, building its business to cover all essential automotive production processes like stamping, casting, body welding, painting, battery assembly, and final assembly.
The company has been driving forward with a focus on developing a comprehensive supply chain to support its business.
"Efficiency is the key word here. We look at the efficiency of our entire supply chain, from raw material procurement, to the processing of raw materials, logistics, to vehicle production and ultimately to our customer services. We look at the efficiencies of not only our very direct suppliers, but also then of our indirect suppliers - meaning the suppliers of our suppliers," said Kevin Chen, the company's head of supply chain operations.
The company has also invested heavily in research and development, aiming to integrate artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, and energy-efficient solutions into its vehicles. Industry experts believe this could set Xiaomi apart in the competitive NEV market.
"We put a lot of efforts into building strategic partnerships with key suppliers, say battery technology or sensor development. So there are two ways we have these strategic partnerships. One way is that, we are a tech company at heart, so we invest very heavily into frontier technology research and development alongside with our partners. Another way we do that is we also believe that it is important to align our interests with those of our key suppliers. We have become one of the top investors in some of our key component suppliers," said Chen.
These partnerships and innovations efforts are not just theoretical concepts. Xiaomi, in particular, has been putting these ideas into practice in multiple ways.
"Xiaomi's strength lies in its ability to scale and innovate quickly. It applied its smartphone ecosystem model to the NEV industry, like the philosophy of building entire industrial chains and supplier partnerships. We can see significant disruption throughout the market," said Zhang Baohua, director of the company's vehicle manufacturing unit.
Chinese NEV maker sets sights on integrating automotive supply chain
Director and screenwriter Shao Yihui Monday shared experiences behind the scenes and sincerely appreciated the audience's encouragement and recognition for Her Story, the new Chinese comedy film which earned rave reviews by telling authentic stories from a largely female perspective.
Her Story unfolds around the life and growth of the fiercely independent single mom Wang Tiemei and her new neighbor Xiao Ye, the "romantic fool". They are completely different in personality yet accompany each other through various relationship challenges. The movie breaks away from the conventional romance or self-help narration and stands out from the rest of the genre by bringing out exquisite, multidimensional portrayal of women via sharp, humorous lines.
Its broad and thrilling resonance partly attributes to location shooting. Shao made big efforts in finding and negotiating for perfect real-life sites.
"I think the architectural style of Shanghai decides the unique lifestyle there. Like many modern tenants in those old villas, they share some activity space and have close ties with their neighbors," Shao said.
Shao devoted the same strictness and responsibility to the casting process. Wang Tiemei is designed to be a warm, positive and chill single mom. And Chinese actress Song Jia popped up into her mind when she was still writing the script.
"She's a perfect match. She is refreshing and elegant in daily life. Although she later told me that she was a bit worried during acting because she was used to portraying roles that are quite different from her own. When the role is very similar to herself, she felt unsure," said Shao.
And she chose Chinese actress Elaine Zhong Chuxi to be the moon-struck but rational Xiao Ye because she saw their similarities.
"I did not know her very well at the beginning. Her past TV shows gave me an independent and mature impression. And she has a bright and beautiful face. But after chatting with her, I found that she's kind and delicate, considerate to the mood of others, bearing some resemblance to Xiao Ye. So I hope to dig out and display that part of her, in contrast to her past," Shao said.
So far, Her Story is rated at 9.1 out of 10 points on Douban, China's leading film-rating platform. Over 140,000 audience have commented on the movie.
While some have compared Her Story to a Chinese counterpart to Barbie, a 2023 global hit from Warner Bros., for its whimsical yet incisive tone, many argue that it presents a distinctly Chinese perspective on gender issues.
Shao remains modest about her great success.
"I know there is still room for improvement, but the audience have been tolerant to us. I think it's because my movie delivers something different from others, showing some novelty, so people like it. That makes up for our shortcomings. I think there's also good luck in the movie's success," Shao said.
Her Story is set to hit the big screens in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and other countries and regions on Wednesday.
Director shares behind-the-scenes stories of hot film Her Story
