AFOL Industry Co., Ltd.

An Interview with the CEO of AFOL by CCTV on the Struggle Talk show

Huang Genfang (Fenny Huang), the Chairman of AFOL Industry Co., Ltd, is a persistent and charismatic leader. She was the manager of Japan’s third largest importer of electric tools and dealt with the export of electric and manual tools. In October 2004, after giving up her stable job, Huang returned to China and established Hangzhou AFOL IMP & EXP CO., LTD, specializing in the exports of doors, windows, and fences. At the beginning of her business, all she had were just a small garage, second-hand computer chairs and two desks. In addition, she worked until 2 am to adjust to the jet lag of different countries. Huang’s expertise in foreign trade for more than 20 years brought success to AFOL’s products, which developed from PVC fences to doors, windows and fences that are now exported all over the world.

The Romantic Encounter

“I met my husband by chance at Tokyo Airport when he came back from America,” Huang said, “It seemed like we were destined to be together for the rest of our life.” At that time she was in Japan while her husband was in America. Through E-mails, they gradually learned more about each other. Love inspired General Manager Wu (Huang’s husband) to follow Huang back to her hometown---Hangzhou.

Starting the Business in a Garage---Dreams are Difficult to Realize

“Honestly, starting my own business was not my original intention,” Huang said, “We bought a house which had a relatively big garage. In order to take good care of our baby and parents, we decided to turn the garage into an office. When designing the office, I was wondering what kind of door is better, since wooden doors deteriorate easily in Hangzhou. In my research, I learned that there was a kind of PVC door which was both durable and water-proof — thus we decided to start the foreign trade of doors. It was so tough for us in the beginning and my life changed drastically. In the past I would travel by plane and live in five-star hotels, but now I commute by trains and stay in inns. Moreover, I had to handle a long list of different tasks. I suddenly found my standard of living drastically decreased.” Huang said, “One time, I wanted to buy pork, only to find it was beyond my means. That broke my heart at that time.”

The First Pot of Gold from Bulgaria

“At that time we had no money to attend exhibitions and the only source we could use were B2B websites. Every day we sent many emails through B2B websites and after about 500 mails we received the first order.” Huang remembered clearly that the customer was a Bulgarian woman named Nina. The first order was very smooth. “We prepared the goods as soon as she paid the advance payment. The precious first pot of gold was about USD 5,000. We joked that it was enough to buy pork and even whole pigs. It was paramount that we be decisive. When one decides to start a business, they may lose something only to gain a new world of opportunity. Anything is possible with great effort. I was glad that I took the leap of faith.” There was no doubt that the first pot of gold had a special meaning to her.

The Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis’ Impact to AFOL

In October 2004, Mrs. Huang established AFOL Import and Export Co.LTD. with her husband and began to deal with the export business of doors, windows and fence which are mainly sold to the USA, UK, the Middle East and South Africa. In 2007 the manufacturing base---Hangzhou AFOL INDUSTRY CO., LTD was founded. The American’s economic crisis in 2008 had a big impact. Suddenly, the export volume declined sharply from about 20 containers to 1 container per month. “One disaster after another, a fence supplier, who kept a friendly relationship with us for a long time, suddenly turned his attitudes and dragged us into a complex lawsuit by taking advantage of loopholes. We therefore lost RMB 2 million in the end. Three years of lawsuit exhausted me physically and mentally. I even wanted to jump from my 16th floor office at that time. It was the parent’s psychologist from my daughter’s school, that saved me. They let me know that our environment is impactful to our minds. Since then I went onto the path of spiritual and physical growth and also started on the road to freedom. At the end of 2014, teacher He Chuangling, the parents’ mentor and National youth health education training coach, and psychoanalytical teacher Fu Zhimin came to AFOL to teach of Chinese ancient civilization. Many parents benefited from it. I was honored to be one of the teachers showing other parents how to overcome their inner turmoil. At the time, I was also employed by Hangzhou Shuren University of foreign languages and started to share with the students my experience in my years of foreign trade. I know that all the owners of small and medium-sized enterprises endure many psychological pressures. So, I plan on giving more public welfare talks in the coming years to make use of what I have learned. ‘Let the passion return!’ One of the parents said that I had helped her find inner peace and fill herself of positive energy. I thank you all for your kind support.

AFOL – The Fast-Paced Transformation of Chinese enterprises

2004: ZHEJIANG AFOL IMP & EXP Co. LTD is established.
2005: AFOL supplied all the windows, doors, fence and bathroom accessories for presidential meeting rooms and villas in the African Union Conf.
2007:HANGZHOU AFOL INDUSTRY CO.,LTD. Is established
2009: AFOL was written in negotiations throughout the world.
2013:AFOL became a model of the Alibaba international website and got to share their experiences with other enterprises and the Alibaba foreign trade circle in Hangzhou.
June 2014: AFOL partnered with the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
August 2014: AFOL moved to Zhejiang Technology Industries Zone with an area of 27000m3. AFOL started to develop the integration of industry and trade. AFOL WINDOWS and AFOL DOORS have been the popular key words in Alibaba international website. Commissioned to purchase floor, cabinets and other home construction products by numerous foreign clients, AFOL intended to develop home furnishing integration. AFOL, after decades of efforts, has successfully developed its products from the original PVC fence to a variety of doors, windows and fences, and achieved a great transition from just a North America market to the globalization of the Americas, Europe, and Africa today. “Since our mission is to achieve 100% customer satisfaction, we at AFOL have kept improving our products and striving to achieve the highest quality products.

AFOL’s Flagship Product: Fiberglass Door.

As the name implies, the main material is fiberglass , also known as fiber reinforced composite polymer. The material we use for fiberglass door is SMC: the main raw materials are made from GF (special yarn), MD (packing) and various additives. The benefits, such as thermal insulation, environmental protection, corrosion resistance, aging resistance, and durability, solved the current drawbacks of materials like wood, steel, and plastic. This type of door is most widely used initially in the United States, followed by the Middle East and now Europe. The inner filling is PU foam, and the filling technology we can achieve is at least 30 kg / ㎡, far more than the 12-13 kg / ㎡ of market average. Although the usage of thermal insulation is currently not as common, we believe firmly that this eco-friendly material of high performance will become more and more welcomed by the market. Of course, another characteristic of this kind of door has not only some wood texture, but also wood grain. Once the surface is painted, the door also has an aesthetic appeal.

AFOL’s PVC Fencing / Vinyl Fence

AFOL fencing maintains the same style across Europe and the United States customer, mainly divided into sectioned - rail fences, privacy and semi-privacy fences. Our materials are 100% recyclable eco-friendly PVC materials. We have adopted the mono - extrusion technology in the process of production, using radiation-less process. With the addition of TiO2, the product is also strengthened and has fade resistance.

AFOL's Windows

Our Windows are completely produced in accordance with international standards and have won the European CE certification. Our windows consist of PVC and Aluminum with focus on Aluminum.. Our raw materials are domestic famous brands with material thickness of ranging from 1.2 mm to 3 mm. If our customers request an even higher quality, they can choose a thermal insulated material. Equipped with independent drainage cavity, it prevents rain and precipitation from seeping in. With many years of production experience, we can guarantee that the indoor temperature can remain sealed in. Although AFOL has supplied the products for projects in Europe, the Americas, and Africa, we still are not completely satisfied and we will make determined efforts to achieve our goals.

The Persistence to not Regret

At the end, Huang Genfang(Fenny Huang) gave us her motto - Persist to not regret. If one encounters difficulties, one should just face them directly. Find and develop yourself through struggles and difficulties. Do not focus on regrets, but turn them into success. Hop like a fish in the sea, fly like a bird across the sky. There are no shortcuts, if you want to start a business with nothing but a dream. Thank you, AFOL. Thank you, Huang Genfang! Success is not about how much wealth you accumulate but how many people you helped to realize their dream. ——Huang Gen fang, an Excellent Entrepreneur of Hangzhou Hu Jiaming: CCTV The Struggle Talk Show by Baidu Search and click it to watch the videos about their struggles such as Zong Qinghou, Yu Minhong, Guo Jingming, CHM TXT and Huang Genfang.